Another Mother
by MintyWritesFiction
Summary: Emma was just an ordinary person. When given the responsibility to raise young vampires from an anime, she naturally resisted like a sane person would. Now she has no choice but to survive through the mood swings, diapers and crying. But... she might grow to love these blood thirsty toddlers
1. Prologue

**A/N: Yeah... this idea has been bugging me so I'm giving it a shot! This may be a bit rushed. (I hate starting stories)  
**

* * *

 **Prologue: Another Time**

Yui stared at the picture she had found. She found it by mistake. Whilst cleaning her room, she found a metal box at the back of her dresser. Inside the cold box, were pictures and small trinkets. Yet despite looking like a hundred years old, the items seemed to belong to the twenty first century.

She took out a photo that caught her attention the most. The Sakamaki brothers were in the photo. They were very young, toddlers.

She was surprised just like the time she saw the brothers as children. But it was far different. In that dream, she was able to see the mistreatment that the boys were receiving. Yet in the photo, they looked pure and innocent.

The young Shu and Reiji sat close to each other, animosity far from the two. The triplets created a dog pile and Subaru sat in the middle.

There was an unfamiliar face. The woman sat cross-legged with Subaru on her lap. Her brown eyes looked straight at the camera, her metal-rimmed glasses rested on her nose. Her blonde hair was pulled into a long wavy ponytail.

If Yui hadn't known any better, she would have thought they were a happy family. Who was that woman?

"Breastless…"

She flinched and turned to see a certain redhead. "Ayato-kun…" She stuttered.

He smirked as he grabbed her shoulders. "I'm thirsty." He said, causing her heart to stop.

"Ayato-kun, n-not now…!" She tried to push him away but he held her tight.

Ayato stopped as he noticed the photo in her hand. Before Yui realized, the photo was snatched out of her hand. She gasped but hesitated to take it back.

"What is this?" He asked. He blinked in surprised at the woman in the picture.

" _Ayato, don't run too far!" She called out. He stopped and turned to the woman, smiling at her. She frowned at him as she finally reached him. The frown soon disappeared as she snatched the boy off his feet, creating bursts of laughter._

He narrowed his eyes at the memory. He turned to glare at Yui who took a step back. "Where did you get this?" He asked.

"I… found it." Yui answered. Ayato didn't say anything before he grabbed her wrist. She winced at the pain. She didn't have time to react as he dragged her to follow him.

"Reiji!" He yelled out as he went to find his older brother. Yui almost tripped after him.

"What's with all the noise?"

Yui looked to see Laito staring at the two with an amused expression. Kanato stood beside his brother, a bit annoyed as he held his Teddy.

"Bitch-chan, what did you do this time?" Laito teased.

"I didn't do anything!" Yui exclaimed, albeit weakly. The redhead gave a small chuckle.

"Where's Reiji?" Ayato asked.

"Why are you looking for him?" Kanato asked.

"I need answers." Ayato snapped as he showed them the photo.

Laito raised an eyebrow at the picture.

" _Laito, you forgot your hat."_

 _Laito turned around to her direction. The woman adjusted the hat on top of his red hair. "Take care of your brothers, okay?" She reminded. Laito watched as she walked away. The woman took few glances making sure the boys were alright.  
_

Kanato clutched tightly around Teddy as strange nostalgia filled his mind.

 _Despite his crying, the woman remained patient as she looked through the pile of toys. "It's okay, Kanato. I'll find your Teddy. Don't cry." She comforted as she rested him on her lap. "Found it!" She exclaimed. She showed him the teddy as his cries turned into tiny sniffles.  
_

"What is that?" Kanato asked. He hated feeling confused.

Yui looked at the brothers. They were quiet as the group went to find Reiji.

"Reiji!" Ayato called when they found the last three brothers.

"What is it?" Reiji said as he looked at the redhead in annoyance.

"What is this?" Ayato demanded. Subaru glanced at the picture. He noticed his young self in the stranger's lap.

Subaru closed his eyes as he turned away.

 _She clapped her hands along to the beat as she smiled at Subaru. She gently pulled him to her lap as they listened to the music. She held him close, causing him to laugh.  
_

"It's just a picture." Subaru said despite, his early reaction.

Reiji examined the picture of the familiar woman.

 _Reiji listened as she narrated the story to him._

" _The end. Time to sleep now." She whispered. She touched the boy's cheek before leaving him to sleep._

"This was when we were just toddlers." He looked at Ayato. "Thus I have no theory on what it means or implies."

He flipped the picture around and noticed a writing at the right bottom corner.

Shu tried to ignore the picture.

"Emma..." Reiji read out loud. Shu slowly opened his eyes at the sound of the name.

 _She cheered as he went down the slide. She caught him. "Wanna go again?" She asked. He nodded, causing her to laugh.  
_

"Emma Millers." Shu answered. Reiji gave a sideways glance at his elder brother.

"Do you know her?" Reiji asked.

"No." Shu answered. "It was just a name I heard that guy mention a long time ago."

Reiji made a small sound of slight acknowledgement. "In any case, this picture doesn't seem to be that important." He turned to Yui. Holding the picture out to her, his red eyes stared into her pink eyes. "Put it back where you found it."

Yui nodded, worried that if she refused, the vampire might be infuriated. She took the photo and quickly left before one of the brothers, especially Ayato could stop her.

Finally reached her room, Yui looked back at the photo and couldn't help but think that there was more to the picture.

* * *

 **A/N: That's a wrap! I hope you enjoyed it. Stay for more baby adventures! Please review, follow and favorite! See ya!  
**


	2. Chapter 1

Diabolik Lovers. An anime of vampires based on an otome game. With a main character, so naive yet pitiful that you can't help but feel unsure how to feel of her. As well as devilishly handsome psychotic vampires are added into the mix. It gave mix feelings to lots of people. Where people both love and hate it.

To Emma, it was just an anime. An anime that she liked to watch but she wasn't that attached to it. Every day when she came back from work, she would go through a Diabolik Lovers marathon. From season 1 to 2, up till the last episode before she cooks dinner for one. It wasn't that she was obsessed. It was after all fifteen minutes for each episode. So it was just something for her to past time before she ends the day. Just a little 'me' time for her. A peaceful moment for herself to enjoy before going to sleep.

Sprawled across the sofa, her blonde hair in the way of her view. She lazily tried to blow it away from her eyesight. Her glasses were at the edge of the table, about to fall. The opening song blared out from the tiny speaker as she watched the episode from her laptop. She smelt like coffee, she couldn't help but complain about the stench. She was, of course a barista. All that education shoved into her brain only to end up working at a coffee shop. It felt a bit underwhelming for her. Kind of like her life was wasted. She knew she should have studied more. Then she could have gotten a better job. A job that she could brag about to her relatives that were all doctors or engineer. It would feel nice to rub it in their face for once.

Her surrounding felt empty. It was a year since she lived by herself in this old quant house. Her grandparents were too old to live by themselves anymore so they moved in with her parents while she lived in their house. The rent was all right. Sometimes she would begrudgingly accept her brother's money when she couldn't pay the rent. She was grateful for her brother's generosity but felt a bit shamed. After all she was the one who decided to live in the house, she might as well do her best to take care of the old house.

That was when it happened. When she thought about it, she probably should've ignored it. Then she wouldn't have been in the predicament but she knew there was no way to avoid this. Obviously they'd find another way to trouble her.

The doorbell rang, causing her to pause the anime. Emma stood up, stretching her aching muscles caused by work and her uncomfortable position on the couch. She glanced at the clock to see it was past eight. She raised an eyebrow in confusion. Another doorbell was heard before she heard it be repeated over and over. Emma sighed in annoyance. Can't they be a bit patient? Don't they have any respect?

"Coming…" She muttered, a bit annoyed as she reached the door to greet the impatient jerk. She turned the doorknob and opened the door, the chain restricting it from opening much. In case something were to happen like a prank or those sort of murders. Yes, she was very much paranoid. But for very good reasons, sort of.

The breeze greeted her much to her confusion. Silence followed the wind. Was this a prank? No one was at the door. Did kids decide to do a hit and run? Do kids even do this anymore? She hates it when kids do this… Not that kids always did this to her.

What a waste of time. Her stomach grumbled for food. She really needed to eat. She should cook some instant noodles. She sighed before slowly closing the door.

"Excuse me?" A little voice finally spoke out.

Emma stopped mid-action at the tiny voice. She blinked once before her brown eyes glanced down to see two pairs of small eyes looking straight up at her. Emma stared at the little boys in front of her. Wait… what? She squinted her eyes at the sight as if it would make the situation clearer. She stretched her neck as she searched for signs of anyone else. The street was dead silent. Finally her eyes looked back down at the two young boys who were waiting patiently for her reaction.

Is this a joke? Who leaves kids on stranger's doorsteps? Is this even real?

"Um, hello? Hi?" She greeted, awkward and obviously confused. She noticed the nightgowns they wore and how their feet were shoeless. They must be freezing cold from being outside. How long have they been outside?

"Where are your parents?" She asked, concerned for their wellbeing.

"He just left." The older one answered. Emma gave a small nod, hesitantly. He left? Who leaves kids at this time of the night? At a stranger's house?

"Alright then…" She replied. "Are you two cold?"

The young boy nodded, making Emma feel bad. "Can we come in?" He asked. As many other people, the logical solution was to close the door. Obviously it was cruel but who's to say it wasn't a trap. There have been a few cases where robbers use children to sneak into people's houses. Yet against her better judgment, she let them in. Closing the door slightly, to take off the chain, she opened the door as the kids walked in. The two boys looked around at their surroundings with curiosity. The older one seemed excited while the other one had the same expression.

"Are you hungry?" She asked. "I only have snacks though. Is that okay?"

"Yes please!" The blonde boy nodded cheerfully. Emma couldn't help but give a small smile at how adorable he was. It was like he was giving off happiness.

She glanced at her laptop to see that her anime was paused and froze at what scene she had paused it on. On the screen there was a tasteful and intimate image of Ayato biting into Yui's neck. It was a very explicit picture for children to even see. She quickly closed her laptop before they could see the content and went to the kitchen. The small footsteps followed her with a pitter-patter.

She rummaged through the fridge. It was almost empty as she sifted through each shelf. She made a mental note to get groceries tomorrow. When was the last time she bought groceries? Probably two weeks ago. No wonder it was so empty. There were mostly snacks in here. Getting the snacks, she passed it to the kids. The older boy placed it on the table and sat down. His brother followed but with a little bit of difficulty due to his short stature.

As she sat down, she noticed the older one rummaged through his pockets, looking for something. He pulled out a letter and she stared at the letter he held.

"Is that for me?" She asked. Much to her confusion, he nodded vigorously. "What's in it?"

"My dad told me to give this to you." He said. He held out a letter and she took it. Inside were a small card and a folded paper.

It was a pale yellow card with a logo written on it. She flipped it over as she inspected it.

 _Little Souls Orphan Home_

An orphanage? She glanced at the boys. The older one ripped the packaging open and ate a chip before passing another to his brother. So they must be orphans. But he just said dad… So why would they…

She looked at their appearance for more information. The older one looked to be only four with slightly curled blond hair and sky blue eyes. He looked like a lively child. He smiled at his younger brother. Even his smile seemed to bright up the room. The young brother on the other hand was different. He was perhaps a year younger. He had the same indifferent look on his face as he listened to his brother talk. His hair was a strange (purple?) shade of black with… red eyes?

She raised an eyebrow at the strange sight. Red eyes. It was strange and very creepy. She couldn't help but feel alarmed at the color. They looked familiar… Very familiar that it gave her chills. It was as if she's seen them before but where could she find beautiful children like these two.

She glanced back at the letter and noticed a phone number underneath the logo.

"I'm gonna go make a phone call." She said to the boys. "Stay here, alright?"

She glanced at the two and saw the blond one nod in understanding. She smiled at him before she stood up.

She went to the hallway as she dialed the number on her phone. Finally she could get some answers about this strange situation she was in. She raked a hand through her hair as she paced around the room. It rang once and twice. Emma kept glancing to see if the boys were still in her sight and hadn't disappeared. She was soon greeted by a voice.

"Little Souls Orphan Home, we're a home for children who are just thirsty for your love!" A cheerful voice exclaimed. Her voice was so sugary that Emma almost cringed. She reminded her of her coworker who seemed to have coffee running through his veins. How can a person be so cheerful at this time? She decided not to think much about it. "How may I help you?"

"Yeah, well. I have a problem." She said as she glanced back at the kitchen. The two boys were still there to remind her that this was all real. "There must be a mix up. Two boys came to my house claiming to be from your orphanage and I'm just concerned about this."

"I'm sorry, two boys?" She asked, confused. "Usually we don't send children but the new parents pick them up."

"I know, I know. It's just these kids showed out of nowhere and I'm pretty sure I did not adopt any kids." Emma said, a bit stressed.

"I see. I'm so sorry about this." The person apologized. "Just tell me their names and appearance. I also would like to know your name."

"They haven't told me their names but one is blonde with blue eyes and the other has black hair and red eyes. Probably brothers." She answered. "My name is Emma Williams."

She waited before the receptionist finally answered. "It appears there's no problem at all." She said with a giggle. She seemed unconcerned.

"What?" Emma asked. What did she mean 'no problem'? Is 'random children going to stranger's houses at the middle of the night' not at least bit concerning?

"There's a contract right here that has six children assigned to you." She explained.

"But I didn't agree to anything!" Emma argued. "And what do you mean assigned?"

"Yes but it was signed by the children's father." She replied. "In the contract you are named as the caretaker of his six sons for the respected amount of time."

"Wait, six?" She asked. "What do you mean there's six? There's more?" More kids? She couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was all very bizarre to her.

"Yes, there are four more children waiting to live with you." She gushed.

"Who?" Emma asked as her blood boiled. What kind of person leaves his kids with total strangers? "Who's the father? Who's the asshole that gave me his kids?!" She didn't realize she was saying such foul language that the little boys might hear.

"Let me take a look, ma'am." The receptionist replied, a bit frightened at the angry blonde. When she said the name, Emma's heart dropped.

"His name is Touga Sakamaki."

In shock, her thumb pressed down on the button, ending the call as she stared at Shu and Reiji.

 _Sakamaki?_


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: A Contract**

Emma watched with suspicion as they ate their snacks. The whole situation was just bizarre for her. One minute, she was enjoying her anime, the next; two toddlers were shoved under her care. What puts the cherry on the top was that she finds out that they were from an anime. A very impossible night for the blonde woman.

"What are your names?" She asked, despite already knowing. After all, it would be weird to use their names when they didn't even formally introduce themselves.

"I'm Shu and this is my brother, Reiji." The oldest answered.

Emma nodded weakly in confirmation. Her heart dropped at the thought that this was very much real. Her hand reached up to push her hair behind her ear.

"Sorry, I should have cooked." She apologized as she played with the corners of the letter. She hadn't read it yet, deciding to do so when the two toddlers were asleep. However they didn't look as tired as she hoped.

"It's okay. We already ate." Shu answered with an innocent smile. She stared a bit too long at his teeth. His canine has yet to grow into fangs. She shuddered at the thought of those against a person's neck. Even though they were children, they were still vampires. It scared her how they look very much like children. This was before they became mentally disturbed, after all. Before their mother mentally abused them. Before they grew apart and began resenting each other. Way before the anime even started at all.

"Shu…" She called warily. He looked at her with bright blue eyes. "Uh… what did your dad say when he brought you here?"

"He said that we'd be staying here." Shu answered.

"For how long? A day? A week? Two weeks?" She asked.

"A long time!" Shu exclaimed with glee. Emma wished she had just as much excitement as he did. He seemed unconcerned that he was dropped off on a stranger's doorstep.

"Your brothers. The little ones. The letter wrote about them. Are they coming too?" Emma asked again.

"Yeah!" He cheered.

Emma gave a small smile. She couldn't help but admire this bundle of joy. He was so different. Very different compared to the lazy, somewhat emotionless boy he would be.

She glanced at Reiji. He wasn't keen on eating the snacks that his older brother enjoyed and instead nibbled on bits of fruits that Emma managed to find.

"Reiji, do you miss home?" She asked, hoping to bring him in their conversation. He looked at her. Since he was a toddler, he had no need of glasses. Unlike Shu who looked like a normal but beautiful child, Reiji's red eyes were a dead giveaway to his origin. And honestly his dead red eyes scared her. He finally shook his head.

Realizing he wasn't going to say a word to her, Emma nodded. "Alright then…" Emma muttered.

"Reiji doesn't talk a lot." Shu answered for his brother.

Emma gave a smile at the sight of Shu trying to help his younger brother. Emma nodded, this time a bit more happy. "Well, since you don't know me, I'm Emma." She introduced.

"Emma!" Shu repeated. "Pretty!"

"Emma…" Reiji spoke.

"Yes, Emma." She said. Emma smiled for the nth time. She couldn't help but smile at how adorable they were.

Reiji poked his brother in the arm. "Bed." He stated, pointing at the clock.

The long arm was five minutes before nine.

"Right." Emma panicked. Bed time. She froze slightly. Should children sleep after eating? Won't that upset their stomachs? She always did that but then again, she never did care about her health that much.

But vampires are different than humans, so it might be fine. Or is it? She decided not to dwell on it. Ignorance is bliss.

"Come on time to brush your teeth." She said to the two boys. Shu rose up his arms and Emma knew he needed a bit of assistance.

She helped them down from their chairs. She guided them up the stairs, holding the toddlers' hands so they won't trip and hurt themselves.

Toothbrushes… She grabbed extra toothbrushes from the drawer only to realize that they were too big.

"We'll just have to make due." She muttered. She passed them a toothbrush. Using her foot, she dragged a stool across the tiles towards the sink.

Shu jumped on the stool while Emma had to help Reiji. Once they were done brushing their teeth with Emma's help, she ushered them to the bedroom. She went through her drawers, rummaging for an extra blanket.

"You can use the bed." She offered, dropping a soft pillow on the fluffy rug.

Shu and Reiji lied down on the bed. As soon as they got under the covers, they gave out small quiet yawns.

Emma pulled the covers and tucked them in. "Good night." She whispered.

"Night night." Shu muttered.

Tired from the bizarre and eventful day, the three closed their eyes and slept sound asleep.

By the time, Emma had opened her eyes, it was already past midnight. She felt the rug under her fingers, assuming she had fallen from a rough sleep. She sat up, the blanket slid down to her waist. She glanced at the bed, hoping what had happened was just a strange dream. The sight of the two toddlers told her otherwise.

She placed an elbow on the mattress and a hand against her cheek as she stared at the little vampires. It was so weird to her. Shu had a peaceful look on his face while Reiji snuggled beside him. She never thought she would see this. They were so different. It was kind of creepy. She never expected to see this at all. Although to be fair, no one would expect to see anime characters in real life.

She glanced at the letter on her side table. It was a letter from Karlheinz. Her heart raced with fear. She needed to know what was going on. How did she get into this mess? Did she anger someone and they were punishing her?

She opened the envelope and unfolded the paper.

 _Dear Emma,_

They were at a first name basis? At least she learned that he knew her. She continued to read the letter.

 _You may be confused about your current situation._

No kidding, she thought sarcastically.

 _However, this is a request as I see that you are only suitable for this. I am unable to tell you the full details of why I asked for you. Think of it as a game. My sons have always lived in the mansion and not once seen the human world and how you all live. I know that when they are older can't be trapped in their homes for all their life. Thus I give you a task to care for my six sons and teach them of the human culture so that they will be better adjusted once they become independent. I am indebted to you. If you so choose as to decline my request there will be consequences for your actions._

 _Regards,_

 _Karlheinz_

She reread it once, twice and thrice. This has to be a joke. This needs to be a joke or else she might lose her sanity. She scratched her head before reading the letter again. The words never changed and her eyes never strayed from the word 'consequences'. So if she doesn't keep the kids, he'll kill her. She gritted her teeth as her stomach felt unsettled. Maybe something even worse than death will happen to her.

She stared at the letter and back at the toddlers that Karlheinz had entrusted to her. The thought of raising vampires bewildered her. Not just one or two but six! She did have experiences taking care of her nieces and nephews. But she can't even stand the thought of being with them 24/7 is just out of the question. She loved children in small doses. What's worse was that they were vampires. They were also toddlers that were still adjusting to their powers. What if they cause trouble, how can she fix it? In fact, what can she do? And what if they kill her? She'll be stuck with six bloodthirsty murderers. They may be children now but she knows who they'll grow to be. They were sadistic boys who will torment humans just for fun. And she was going to help raise them!

No chance, No way. She crumpled the paper and tossed it into the bin. She lay back onto the rug. There's no way she's taking care of these bloodsuckers.

Tomorrow when the orphanage opens, she's going to send them back. She nodded to herself, determined to end this. As she went back to a dreamless sleep, she was unaware of a presence.

Hanging upside down on a tree, a bat rested. Its blood red eyes stared through the window at the sleeping figure before flying off to loyally report this to its master.

* * *

 **A/N: Emma refuses to keep the toddlers and tries to give them back. But if that happens, this story wouldn't exist. Please review, follow and favorite! See you next week!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: A Day Out**

Once again she had thought it was just a dream but once again she was reminded that it was very much real.

She turned on the table lamp, causing the toddlers to stir in their sleep. Walking quietly, she went to grab fresh clothes and went to the bathroom. By the time she came back to the room, it was already 8 in the morning and she knew that the nearest diner had just opened. She had no work for today, which meant she was going to that Orphanage. It didn't matter to her if she might anger the King of Vampires or perhaps even worse. She was definitely not going to care for these children. Her salary was only enough for her, not a family of seven.

She gently pulled down the blanket, causing Shu to open his eyes slightly.

"Wake up." She said in a gentle tone she would use for her nieces and nephews. Shu tried to blink away the sleep while Emma reached for Reiji. She gave a gentle shake but he didn't respond. Slowly, she reached over and held him in her arms, something that was normal for her with babysitting experiences. He was still fast asleep as she carried him down the stairs while she held onto Shu's tiny hand.

"Where are we going?" He asked as Emma grabbed her purse from the coat hanger. For someone who is paranoid, she sure left her valuables out in the open.

"To eat. Are you hungry?" She asked as she unlocked the door. She assumed he might be hungry for _human_ food. From what she's seen from the anime, they eat like everyone else. But she always wondered if food could fill up their stomachs. To her relief, the boy nodded slowly as he rubbed his eyes.

Usually she would have just walked to the diner but she had a plan with these kids. She helped put on Shu's seat belt and then Reiji's, who was starting to wake up. He whined at the sudden brightness and Emma quickly tried to calm him down. She soon remembered the doll her niece had left. A quick trip to the trunk of her car, she offered the slightly worn rabbit, which Reiji held. Getting into her own seat, she turned on the engine.

The ride was surprisingly peaceful. Not like her nieces and nephews who always found a way to annoy her for the sake of their boredom. They soon reach the diner and as soon as they walked in, the smell of bacon waft its way towards the trio. She heard the toddlers' tummies grumble in response, causing her to smile. If the customers noticed the toddlers' clothing, they didn't question it.

As they sat down in one of the red vinyl booths, Emma's usual waitress came to greet her.

"Right on time." The waitress said with a wink.

"Three of the usual." Emma said with a tired smile.

Mary turned her attention to the toddlers. "I see you brought some little ones with you." She said. Emma grew nervous as she glanced at the young boys.

Mary seemed charmed by their unnatural beauty and leaned closer. "What's your name?" She asked.

"My name is Shu." He greeted first as expected. "This is Reiji."

Mary stared at Reiji, a bit confused. Emma soon remembered about Reiji's unusual ruby eyes. She quickly stood up to try to distract Mary. Cover her eyes, drop a glass, anything! But as she leaned over, she caught sight of Reiji's eyes. It was no longer the supernatural red but an ordinary shade of brown. Emma gaped at the sight as Mary seemed to wake up from her daze.

"Well, they sure look like you." Mary commented with a smile.

Emma gave a dazed out chuckle as Mary left. She turned back and flinched when she caught red eyes looking straight at her. It was as if his eye color was an illusion. She held back her questions. Of course he wouldn't know, he was three years old in human age. Now that she thought about it, how old were they really? She watched the toddlers play with the cutlery (More like Shu was while Reiji watched).

"Shu, how old are you?" She finally asked.

Shu looked thoughtful for a moment as he used his fingers to count. "Dad says I'm four but it feels very long." He answered.

Very long, he says. Emma gave an appreciated smile. Then, perhaps maybe they are older than Emma. When the pancakes came, Emma barely ate hers as the toddlers were in a predicament. They held the big knife and fork at a strange angle as the knife violently stabbed into the fluffy maple goodness.

"Let me help." Emma offered after a minute of their futile attempts. She stifled a chuckle when Shu's stomach growled as she cut the pancake into small pieces. She then proceeded to cut Reiji's pancake, before he could take from his brother. Reiji sat diligently as Emma cut his pancake. By the time, they were done eating; Emma's pancake was only half its size.

"Take away?" Mary asked when she came by. Emma nodded. She was in a rush after all. She quickly checked the address of the orphanage on the card.

"Everyone ready?" She asked.

She did a double take on how sticky their faces were. She sighed, quickly guided them to a bathroom. Once the whole sticky mess was cleaned up, she ushered them back to the car, taking the pancake and paying bill and tip to Mary.

"Where are we going now?" Shu asked.

"It's a surprise." Emma said with a small smile.

She helped them into the car and they drove to the 'surprise' destination. The group walked into the building. There were children playing as the caretakers watched. She glanced around to find someone to help her.

"Why don't you two go play? I have to take care of something." She said. Shu nodded in excitement.

Emma guided the kids to a small playground. Once they were occupied, she turned to one of the staffs.

"Hi, my name is Emma Williams. I called yesterday about an adoption." She first greeted.

The woman smiled, looking nervous. "Yes, we spoke on the phone." She replied. Emma remembered of her rash behavior and tried to give a friendly grin to ease the employee.

"I'd like to return them." She said.

"Is there a problem?" The staff asked once more.

"Yes. They're good kids but this deal is without my consent." Emma explained. She pulled out the letter as proof.

The staff took the letter and skimmed through the writing before typing at her computer.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Williams but we cannot annul the adoption certificate without Mr. Sakamaki's permission." She said.

"Then is there any way for you to contact him?" Emma asked, trying to hold in her irritation.

"Mr. Sakamaki is on a business trip and we need his presence during the agreement. Without him, we can't go forth with your request." She said.

Emma rubbed her forehead. "So what you're saying is that, I'm stuck with six kids?" She asked.

"Not permanently. Just a certain amount of time until their legal guardian comes to get them." The staff explained.

"For how long?" Emma asked as she stared at the counter desk.

"Just for six months."

Emma whipped her head up to gape at the staff. " _Just_ half a year?" She yelled. She felt a bit light headed and gripped at the edge of the counter to balance herself.

"Are you alright, Ms. Williams?" The staff asked as she stood up to hold Emma's elbow.

"I'm fine… I just need to gather my thoughts." She grabbed the letter. "Thank you for your time."

She quickly turned and called the two toddlers. She numbly held their hands as she took them out of the buildings. Once she was in the car, she had realized that she went in an orphanage with two kids only to leave with the same two children. She sighed in frustration as she turned the engine on. As she reversed the car, she thought of what to do. What can she do now?

"Emma, Emma, look!" Shu cheered as he sat up without his seatbelt. She glanced behind to see him hopping up and down.

"Shu, put on your seatbelt." She reminded as she tried to look behind to check for any obstacles she might reverse into.

Shu was undeterred as he showed his toy a bit too close to her face. "The nice lady let me keep it!" He exclaimed.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows. "Not now, you can show me later." She brushed aside a bit roughly.

"But it's so cool!" He exclaimed.

"Shu! Stop it now!" She yelled.

Without realizing, she heard a bump and her car shook slightly, causing her to press her brake. The sudden brake caused Shu to fall back to his seat and Reiji to cry in shock. Her heart raced with concern as she quickly rushed out. She gasped when she saw a man knelt down in pain right behind her car.

Can this day get any worse?

* * *

 **A/N: Always look back when reversing. You might run over someone. Don't be like Emma. Please review, follow and favorite! See you next week!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Time for a break  
**

This day just got worse.

Emma rushed to the man that she had almost run over.

"I am so sorry! Are you alright?" She asked. She held his arm and helped him stand up.

"I'm fine." He said. He tried to smile but it looked more like a grimace. That had only made her feel guiltier. This man was trying to shrug off his injuries and there was no way she was going to let that happen.

"Should I call the ambulance?" She asked herself. Of course, she should call the ambulance.

"No, you don't need to." He assured.

"Sir, I almost ran over you." She said, concerned about him. She pulled out her phone.

"I'm alright. You don't need to call the ambulance." He said a bit more harshly. She was taken aback by his voice. He looked up at her and she froze at the sight of his red eyes.

"You should worry about yourself." He said before turning to her car. "When he asked you to take care of them, you should."

He pulled away from Emma as he dusted off his jacket. Emma could only stare as he leaves, disappearing into the crowd. She let out a breath that she was holding before staggering backwards.

What just happened?

Finally, she slowly walked back to the car. She got in the driver's seat and adjusted the rearview mirror to look at the toddlers.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

Shu nodded. "Sorry." He answered. Emma gave him a smile to calm him. Reiji's cries had calmed down into tiny hiccups.

"Put on your seat belts." She said. Shu put on his seat belt.

She checked the time to see it was half past noon. "Are you hungry?" She asked.

Shu nodded. She thought of a place where they could just have a snack. Even though it was her day off, she knew it was the nearest right now.

* * *

"Can I have a caramel latte, two hot chocolate and two slices of chocolate cake?" Emma ordered. The barista nodded and went to prepare her order.

She knelt beside the toddlers who were looking at the display.

"What's that?" Shu asked. He pointed at a red cake with cheese frosting.

"That's red velvet." Emma answered.

He looked and pointed at an orange cake with white frosting. "What's that?" He asked.

"Carrot cake." She answered.

"What's that?" He repeated. This time he pointed at a colorful cake with blue frosting.

"That's a confetti cake." Emma answered.

Shu looked around to find what else to point at. "That?" He asked.

"That's a sandwich." Emma answered.

"What kind?" He asked.

Emma gave a small sigh. "Egg." She said.

"Which cake did I pick?" She asked. Reji looked around still holding the bunny doll. He pointed at the chocolate cake.

"There." He answered. Emma smiled.

"That's right." She answered.

"Didn't expect to see you here."

Emma froze before putting a smile on her face. She stood up to see an employee.

"Hey Paul." She greeted. He smiled back.

"Are you really Emma?" He asked. "Cause I'm pretty sure it's her day off and she would've avoided this place."

"I was nearby." She replied.

"Alright." He said. He turned to look at the toddlers. "You brought kids?"

She nodded as she place a hand on the boys' shoulders. "Shu and Reiji." She introduced.

He looked at the boys. "They don't look…" He stopped, trying to find a word. "Asian."

"Whose kids are they?" He asked.

"A family friend asked me to take care of them." She lied.

Finally the barista handed her order.

"Thank you." Emma said as she took the cups. She passed the hot chocolates to the boys before taking the latte and cakes.

"It's great talking to you, Paul." She said. "Bye."

"See ya." He said.

She ushered the toddlers to a nearby empty table to sit. The two sat together while she sat across them.

"Two cakes for two little boys." Emma said as she placed the cakes in front of them.

She watched as the kids ate the cake. She would be lying if she said she wasn't tired. She dreaded what her life would be like if the rest of the Sakamaki brothers arrive. But she had to after that man threatened him. She was annoyed that he gave her a scare. If he had wanted to threatened him why did he decide to do it by getting hit by her car?

She drank her latte and felt the liquid burn against her throat. She coughed slightly from the drink. She glanced at the kids and thought that she might as well get used to them.

"Shu, are you excited to be staying with me?" She asked.

"Yup!" He exclaimed. Sadly, she didn't feel the same way.

"What about you, Reiji?" She asked as she looked at him. He looked at her before completely ignoring her.

"You just want cake." Emma stated. She couldn't help but relate. Food was the only thing good to her.

She might as well embrace this. She thought of how to take care of them. She assumed Reiji was easier to take care of. Shu on the other hand…

She watched Shu make a mess. She grabbed a tissue to wipe his face.

"No!" He whined.

"Your face is dirty." Emma reminded. "Stay."

"No." He leaned away from her.

"Don't you want to be clean?" She asked. He shook his head.

She groaned but thought of an idea. With a small smirk, she turned to Reiji who was slowly eating his cake.

"Reiji, your face has chocolate." She pointed out. Reiji touched his face and saw frosting on his fingers. He whined slightly.

"Hold still." She said as she gently wiped the crumbs off his face.

"See? All clean." She grinned at Reiji as she then wiped his hands. Shu watched and Emma glanced at him.

"Reiji's a good boy. Look how clean he is." She complimented.

Shu reached out at Emma with a small whine.

"What's the magic word?" She asked.

"Please!" He said. Emma smiled at him before cleaning him next.

The boys pushed their plate towards her. She ate the leftover cake. Maybe she should've bought one slice instead.

Shu was a bit older so he might be harder to handle. Asking too many questions and all that. But there is a bit of independence that Emma might let Shu do without worrying about him.

"Emma."

She looked up to see a visible frown on Shu's face. She knew that face. It was the same face that her nieces and nephews make when there was a turn for the worst. It was the exact face that made her gives back the children to their parents for the adults to deal with. "What is it?" She asked, hesitantly.

"I need to go to the bathroom." He said.

At that moment, a panic alarm was set off at the back of her head. She stood up, a bit too quickly, causing her thighs to slam against the edge of the table. She winced in pain and knew that a bruise will form by the time she decided to check and see.

"Let's go." She replied urgently as she took the two boys by the hand. She ushered them to the toilet. She looked around to find an empty stall as she maneuvered to avoid bumping into people that were coming in and out.

"Here we go!" She exclaimed as she went into one of the stall.

"No." Shu stood firmly. "I go myself."

Emma sighed as she stood outside the stall with Reiji. She waited as Shu used the toilet.

Finally the sound of the flush signaled it was over. "Okay?" She asked. Shu walked out and nodded.

"Go wash your hands." She said. Shu went to wash his hands.

Reiji started to whine and struggled. Emma grimaced.

"You too?" She asked. Reiji nodded. Emma groaned and went into the stall. She passed her bag to Shu and told him to stay put.

"Okay." She placed Reiji on top of the seat. "You ready to go?"

He shook his head. She sighed. Guess they had to wait. Once the ordeal was over, they walked out the bathroom.

First day of 'parenting' and it's already on a rough start. She looked at the boys' attires.

"Guess we're going shopping." She stated. The boys looked at her confused.

"What's shopping?" Shu asked.

"You'll see." Emma replied.

"Where is it?" Shu asked again.

"That's why I'm going to show you." Emma answered.

"Why won't you tell me?" He asked.

Emma sighs, as she knew what she should say. "It's a surprise." She said with a high pitch.

His eyes gleamed with excitement. "A surprise?" He asked. She nodded

"What kind of surprise?" Shu asked again.

"A _special_ surprise!" She exclaimed.

"Really?" He asked. Emma nodded again.

She gave a small smile as she watched him jump up and down. That made him a bit quiet. She just hopes he'll stay that way until they get to the mall.

* * *

 **A/N: So I had already written this chapter but had stupidly deleted it. Which made me had to write from scratch but maybe that was a good thing since I was able to add more scenes and rewrite the current scenes. Please review, follow and favorite! See you next week!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Let's go shopping!  
**

Emma looked around the shop as she sifts through different clothing. The first thing she needed to do was to buy clothes for them to wear. She might also need to buy them shoes instead of the slightly big sandals that her nieces had left. There were always times that whenever she babysits, there were forgotten items left at her house.

"I like this one." Shu stated. Emma looked to see him holding a dark blue collared shirt. She checked to see that it was his size before looking to see if it was in Reiji's size. She thought it was better to buy identical clothes for them and luckily they didn't seem to mind at all. Thankfully it was and she managed to find pants to go with the shirt.

There were peaceful moments where the two toddlers chose the clothes they wanted. But there were also stressful times where they didn't want to cooperate with Emma.

She heard something clatter to the floor to see that Reiji was taking shirts off the hangers. He dropped the hanger into a pile of more hangers as he crumpled the shirt in his arms that were already full with identical black shirts.

"Reiji, put that back." Emma stated as she picked up the hangers.

Reiji whined as she tugged at one of the shirts in his arms. He held them against his chest as if his life depended on it.

"You can only take one." She said.

"No!" Reiji retorted. She should be excited that Reji was talking but was annoyed that he's only talking just to rebel against her. And here she thought Shu was a hassle.

"Give it back." She said sternly.

It took a while of convincing but she managed to make him take just one shirt. It also took a moment for her to put the shirts back on the hangers. They then went to pay for the clothes. She had wanted to browse through another shop when she turned around to see that Shu was missing. She widened her eyes in fear.

"Where's Shu?" She asked Reiji.

He pointed at a direction and against Emma's better judgment, she decided to listen to him. With arms full of clothing, she rushed to the shoe section to find the blonde boy with Reiji following behind her.

She looked to see Shu sitting on a stool as he tried on a pair of shoes.

"Shu!" She called out. Emma blushed in embarrassment when a couple of shoppers look at her with confusion and wary. Shu looked up and waved.

"I told you we'll get shoes later." She said. She counted the clothes. She decided it was enough for now.

"It's too small." Shu said as he tried to push his feet into a shoe half his size.

"That's for small babies." Emma told him. "Why don't you find other shoes?"

"Shu." Reiji pointed at his brother. Shu laughed at him.

"Not me. Shoes." He said. He then pointed at the display of shoes.

"Pick whatever you want." Emma said only to see he was already choosing. Why did she even bother?

"I like this one." He said. Emma looked at the shoe and immediately liked the design. She turned it over and checked the price. She paled at the numbers. Even her shoes were cheaper than this.

"How about something else?" She asked.

Shu gave a small frown but decided to get another one.

"Shu." Reiji stated as he pointed at a… shoe.

"Yup. Shoe." Emma agreed. She took the shoe and helped Reiji put it on.

She watched him walk, only for the shoes to slip off his feet.

"Can I get a size smaller?" Emma asked an employee. Reiji sat beside her as he looked around.

"Shu." He pointed at another.

"Shoe." Emma corrected.

"Shu." Reiji said. Emma chuckled, deciding to let him say whatever he wanted.

She watched Shu rush over to put on his shoes.

"Careful." She warned. Shu tripped over the shoelaces, which caused Emma to stand up with concern.

She picked him up and dusted his shirt as Shu looked a bit dazed from the tumble.

"Sit." She ordered as she went to tie his shoelaces. As he walked around to test the shoes, Reiji's shoes came in the right size.

She quickly paid for the shoes and rushed to the nearest bathroom to help them change. With the nightdresses in the shopping bag, she couldn't help but smile at the cute outfits that they were wearing right now.

"Where do you want to go next?" Emma asked.

Shu turned to look at her. "We can choose?" He asked. She gave a small nod.

Shu jumped in joy as he looked around before pointing at something. "That one!" He exclaimed. With Reiji holding her hand, Emma followed the blonde boy.

He reached at the strange huge plush and Emma recognized it. They were those machines that look like animals and children could ride and drive it around.

"How much for a ride?" Emma asked.

"Two dollars for fifteen minutes." The employee said. She handed four dollars and gestured at the boys to ride it.

"I want the pup!" Shu rushed to the brown dog as the employee helped him get on. Turning the ride on, the machine dog started moving and Shu laughed in excitement. Emma was a bit relaxed as the employee took care of Shu's safety, making sure he didn't bump into objects or shoppers.

Emma focused on Reiji who stared at the toys with worry. Emma hoisted him up.

"Look it's a pink lion." She said. She slowly helped him get on.

"Hold here." A female employee said as she made sure Reiji held onto the handles. She turned on the engine and the lion moved. The sudden start startled Reiji. He glanced back at Emma as the lion slowly moved away. He whined and reached out at Emma, causing the employee to guide the lion while making sure he didn't fall.

Emma gave a small chuckle. She caught up to the pink lion and made sure to be beside it at all time.

"Emma! Reiji!"

She looked up to see Shu driving towards us. He waved at us. I helped Reiji turned to the right, to prevent the animal rides from hitting each other. The time was up but they enjoyed the ride.

But why leave when you could enjoy more? Emma and the toddlers walked around the mall without destination.

"I want that!" Shu pointed at the ice cream parlor.

"Can I have it in a cup? Two flavors." Emma said.

"What do you guys want?" She asked.

"I can't see!" Shu exclaimed as he hopped up and down. Reiji went up to the tip of his toes but could barely see the sweet cold ice cream.

With both of them in her arms, Emma hoisted them to let them have a good view of the ice cream.

"I want green!" Shu exclaimed. He pointed at the mint chocolate and the man began scooping the goodness. As Shu tapped on the glass, Reiji looked at the various options before pointing at the raspberry.

"What color is that?" Emma asked.

"Red." He answered. The man scooped up the ice cream and Emma paid for it. She took three small spoons and the group sat at a small table.

Since they were at the mall, she should go to the bookstore to find books about parenting.

"Emma."

She looked to see Shu offering her a spoonful of his ice cream. She smiled before accepting it. As she ate the ice cream, the minty freshness overwhelmed her taste buds… and not in a good way. She coughed at the surprising flavor. She turned to see that Reiji was offering his ice cream. She decided to try it. She suppressed a frown, as the ice cream was way too sour.

"It's good." She lied before going back to the counter to order a bottle of water to wash away the taste.

They then went to the bookstore and was surprised that the boys enjoyed the place. As she browsed around the parenting section, she gave glances to check on the boys.

Reiji sat in the small red beanbag, reading a book. His expression held interest as he flipped through the pages. Shu had lain on his stomach on top of a blue beanbag. He gave a few surprise laughs, every time he flipped a page and a face pops out.

Watching them was… endearing. She grabbed a few books on development skills. She also made sure that it had information on the ages one and two for preparation of the upcoming arrivals of the other toddlers.

"Do you want to buy that?" She asked.

Shu nodded and flipped the book around. He opened it and a face of a dragon popped out. He gave a roar before bursting into giggles. She laughed and took the book.

Reiji held out a book and she accepted it. She was about to head to the counter when Reiji came back with another book. She hesitantly took the book and watch as Reiji went to get another book.

"That's enough books for now." Emma reminded before he could buy the whole store.

* * *

 **A/N: I don't know what do you call those rides but I used to ride on it every time we went to the mall when I was young. My parents and the employees had to make sure I didn't bump or run over things on purpose. Please review, follow and favorite! See you next week!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: End of the day**

By the time they got back home, the sun was setting and Emma was beyond exhausted. Sadly, the boys weren't feeling the same way as her. She regrets giving them cake and ice cream.

"Shu, carry this for me." Emma said to prevent him from running all over the place. Shu took the shopping bag without question and went to the living room.

"Now take the clothes out of the bag." Emma said as she rummaged through the drawers for scissors.

She turned to see Shu turning the bag over for the clothes to spill down to the table. She winced at the action but only sighed as she was honestly too tired to scold him. For each boy, she had bought ten everyday outfits, five pajamas and ten undies. She proceeded to cut the tag off from each of them.

"Reiji, can you get the trashcan?" I asked. With a soft grunt, he pulled the trashcan towards the table. One by one, she threw the tags in. She kept two pajamas for them to wear before she finally gathered the clothes to put it in to the washing machine.

When she came back, she saw that the toddlers were watching cartoon on the television. They were quiet as they stared silently at the screen.

"Time for a bath." She had announced. The two boys looked at her.

"No." Shu whined. Reiji soon followed his brother. She chuckled.

"Come here, you two." She said as she reached out to carry them both in her arms.

She hoisted them up the stairs and went to the toilet. She helped them take off their clothes as the water was running. She added the bath soap and the toddlers watched bubbles form on the water's surface.

"Who's first?" Emma asked.

Shu raised up his hand. With a fake grunt, she carried Shu and helped him into the bath. He giggled and splashed at the water surface. He dunked his head under, only to come out with bubbles in his hair. Reiji raised his arms as he hopped at his feet slightly, asking to be picked up. Emma obeyed and helped him join his older brother. Emma slid down to the floor to sit while the boys played with the bubbles. They splashed at each other and the water splashed at Emma. She wiped her face dry but winced as she got soap in her eye.

After the fifteen-minute mark passed, Emma decided to watch the soap off of the young boys. With two towels, she hand one to each boys. She took turns to dry them off. They gave a small struggle as she dried them. She then handed them their pajamas.

"Do you need help?" She asked.

"No!" Shu said with confidence. Emma watched him pull the shirt over him.

"Wrong hole." Emma pointed out. Shu took the shirt off and turned it around. Emma helped Reiji with his pajamas. She had also made them brush their teeth since she wasn't planning on giving them any midnight snacks.

Even after that, the toddlers were still hyper. She watched them jump on the sofa.

"Stop, you'll hurt yourselves." Emma reminded. Shu jumped and tossed cushions on the floor. The cushions created a mountain that Reiji was climbing. She should've gotten toys when they were shopping.

She grabbed two empty notebooks and some pencils. "Sit down." Emma said as she caught Shu. The blonde boy let out a laugh. She sat him down before doing the same to Reiji.

"Draw whatever you want." She said. She watches as the boys drew on the paper. Finally, there was peace and quiet in the house.

She pulled out a book that she had bought and decided to read it for information. She leaned back into the sofa as she read the book. She learned it was at least easier if they were three to four years old. They're a bit more independent. Know a lot of words and can form sentences. They were able to make friends and perhaps share.

Now that she thought about it. Wouldn't she be able to send them to preschool? It was still early in the year so school hasn't opened yet but is she supposed to? Maybe she should. It would be easier for her and she wouldn't have to take care of them 24/7. It would also be easier for her to take care of six kids in total.

"Emma, look."

She glanced to see Shu holding up a paper. She gently took it from his hands. The drawing had five people. At the farthest left was a person with white hair and yellow eyes.

"That's your dad." Emma stated instead of asking. Shu nodded, happily.

The person held hands with someone with golden locks and blue eyes. "And that's your mom." She observed. Shu nodded again and pointed at a short person next to his mom.

"That's me." Shu said as the person looked identical with his mom. He then pointed to a little person with black hair and blue eyes. "And that's Reiji."

Reiji looked up at us in response to his name. Shu then moved his finger and it hovered over the last stick figure. It had blonde hair and dirt brown eyes. "That's you." Shu said.

"That is me." Emma responded with surprise. She couldn't help but feel a bit touched that Shu drew her.

Reiji held up his drawing and Emma took it. She stared at the drawing a bit confused.

The whole paper was colored dark blue but a few spots were still white. A huge black figure was drawn in the middle.

"What's this?" She pointed at the black scribble.

"Bat." Reiji answered. Emma soon made sense of the drawing as the shape of the black blob looked familiar.

"Stars." Reiji pointed out at the white circles.

"Stars are yellow." Shu corrected. Reiji shook his head.

"White."

"Yellow stars!"

"White stars."

Emma chuckled and pulled the two boys close. "Stars can be white _and_ yellow." She assured.

She looked at the drawings. "I'll put this on the fridge." She stated.

"Why?" Shu asked confused.

"When a drawing is really good, they get to be on the fridge." Emma explained, patiently.

"Really?" Shu asked.

Emma nodded. "Then I'm gonna draw a lot of pictures!" He exclaimed. Emma chuckled as she watched him take a fresh new paper to color. Reiji watched before rushing to do the same.

Finally she turned back to her book and continued reading. There were times when she paused her readings to see a new drawing Shu or Reiji had drawn and gave compliments to the cute art. For a moment, her disdain towards this huge situation decreased slightly. Initially, she was worried about how she was going to handle this situation. But she knew now that other than the incident at the diner, they acted like regular toddlers. Maybe it will be a long time their vampire powers kick in but at least she hoped not during their stay with her. She glanced at the time to see it was already nine. It was early for her but it was time for the boys to go to bed.

"Let's get to bed. Come on." She gestured them to follow her.

"But our drawings?" Shu asked.

"I'll stick it on the fridge first thing tomorrow." She answered.

The two boys held her hand as they went upstairs. They clenched their mouth to stop themselves from sleeping but Reiji's eyes drooped slightly.

She glanced at the study room. She never used it as much as she wanted to. It was right across her bedroom. She might let the boys sleep there… but not now. She might have to get rid of everything in that room. Not only that, she'll have to get them new beds. Furthermore, how many beds should she get? Would the younger ones like to sleep on their own? She might have to ask Paul to help her build the beds.

Shu and Reiji hopped onto the bed as Emma turned on the nightlight and closed the lights.

"Alright, close your eyes and go to sleep." She said as she pulled the blanket over them.

"I'm not tired." Shu said.

"Not tired." Reiji repeated.

Emma smirked as she used her hand to cover Shu's eyes and she did the same to Reiji.

"Are you tired now?" She joked. Shu gave a small laugh.

"No!" He answered. Reiji gave a small yawn.

"Reiji's tired, why aren't you tired?" Emma asked.

"I want to play more." Shu answered. He let out a small yawn that betrays his determination. Emma raised an amused eyebrow at the boy.

"It's better to play when the sun is awake." Emma reminded. "Good night."

She stayed until the two fell asleep. They looked innocent and unreal. Emma reached out to brush her fingers against Reiji's hair but hesitated. She went to lie down on the carpet floor. Slowly her eyes began to close and she slept. This time she had slept with content.

* * *

 **AN: She's slowly getting used to them. Please review, follow and favorite! See you next week!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Screwdrivers and toddlers**

She stared down at the Ikea box. It's been three days since the toddlers have been living in her house. Earlier today, she had finally bought two small beds. Last night, she had invited someone to come to her house today to help her build the said beds. The doorbell rang and she went to answer it.

She opened the door to greet Paul. He looked different in his casual clothes and for some reason he looked uncomfortable. He didn't try to enter.

"What's with the look?" Emma asked, bluntly.

He gave a small laugh before clearing his throat. "This is the first time you invited me to your house. I didn't know you think of me as a friend." He answered.

"I don't think of you as a friend. I asked you here to help build something for me." She said.

He gave a small frown. "At least pretend you like me." He muttered. "So what do you need fixing?"

"You now how to put together an Ikea bed?" She asked.

"Yes?" He trailed off. "Why? Do you have a guest or something?"

"I didn't invite you to come here and ask me questions." Emma said.

"Alright, alright." He said. "Lead the way."

Emma showed him the way. As they walked up the stairs, Paul looked at the rather bland decorations. All the portraits were family pictures. Some were pictures of individuals, some were of a small group and others had the whole relatives in it.

"I'm sorry, I have another question." He then blurted it out before she could shoot him down. "Do you really live here?"

She sighed but knew why he asked. "My grandparents lived here and my dad has a lot of siblings but my grandparents can't cope living here anymore so they gave it to me." Emma answered.

"Why?" He asked.

"Cause my brother and all my cousins have their own family and homes while I still don't have my life together." She answered a bit depressed.

Paul didn't know what to add to that as he silently followed her. Emma blinked as she heard noises in the study room. She went in to see the two boys playing with the large boxes.

"Faster!" Shu exclaimed as he sat on the box like a horse. Reiji ran in a circle around the second box. Despite the simple action, he looked like he was having fun.

"What are you two doing?" She asked as she watched the chaos. The two boys turned to look at her.

"Hey, mister!" Shu greeted. Paul grinned and waved at them. Reiji stopped when he noticed the man and started to stare.

"Why are you two in this room?" Emma asked, gently.

"We're bored!" Shu answered. "We want to help."

Paul chuckled at the display of pouts while Emma sighed at their behavior. She then pointed at the door

"Both of you, out now. This is too dangerous. Play in the other room." Emma said.

Shu hopped off the box and Reiji reached out to hold his hand as they walked out. She made sure they went into the bedroom before turning to Paul.

"Sorry about them." Emma said.

"Why are you sorry? They're just kids." He answered. Emma nodded her head.

"Yup… just _normal_ kids." She commented. She sat down on the carpet floor and started to open the box.

"So are they really just nephews?" He asked.

She turned to look at him and tried to think of excuses. "It's complicated. Hard for me to explain." She lied.

Thankfully, he didn't say anything. He sat across her and opened the other box.

* * *

"I think I did something wrong…"

Emma stared at the incomplete bed she was building. It looked right but at the same time, it was wrong.

Paul took one glance at it and immediately spotted the problem. "You're not supposed to put that on yet." He answered.

She gave a strong pull to take the piece out. She stared at the instructions.

"Am I doing this wrong?" She asked.

"Yes." Paul answered.

"I've never done this, alright?" She defended.

"What about your bed?" He asked.

"The place was already furnished before I got here." She answered.

He chuckled and Emma glanced at him. "What's funny?" She asked.

"You." He answered.

She glared at him but stopped when the two boys walked in… for the tenth time.

"You can't play here." Emma said.

"I'm not playing. We want to help." Shu said while Reiji picked up a piece of wood.

"Sorry, you two aren't strong enough to do this." Paul said.

Shu huffed at Paul. "We're strong!" He exclaimed. He picked up a tool to try to tighten a screw.

Emma watched him make a few attempts before taking the tool from him.

"This is sharp, don't use it." Emma warned. However, Shu held onto it with a firm grip.

"I want it!" He whined. He stomped his feet to express his anger. Meanwhile, Reiji was slowly dragging the piece of the bed across the room. He was having a great time in the middle of this situation

"Shu, stop. Let go of it now." Emma stated. Shu tugged harder and harder. Paul got up to help Emma.

"You can play with something else." Paul reasoned as he placed his hand over the tool as well. He gently tried to pry the young boy's fingers off of the tool.

"You let go!" Shu quipped.

"You're gonna hurt yourself." Emma said.

Shu gave a one last resisting tug but during that Paul had managed to pry the boy's finger and released the grip.

Shu fell backwards and hit his head on the wood. It was the same wood that Reiji held. The impact caused him to drop the piece of wood onto his left foot. The two boys cried simultaneously and Emma rushed to her feet.

"See, I told you. You never listen." She scolded with disappointment and concern. She picked Reiji up while Paul assisted to carry Shu.

"Should we get the first aid kit?" He asked.

"Kitchen." She answered as they went down the stairs. They helped the young boys to sit at the chairs and Emma went to get some ice and two kitchen towels. She wrapped the ices with the towel and passed one to Paul. Luckily, it was just small bumps from the impact and they used the towel wrapped ice to cool down the swelling.

"It's cold." Shu commented.

"Next time, when I tell you it's dangerous, don't play." Emma said. The two boys nodded weakly.

"Sorry." They mumbled.

"When will you play with us?" Shu asked.

"Play!" Reiji exclaimed.

"A few more minutes then we can play." She said.

"How many minutes?" Shu asked.

"Thirty." She said. Reiji turned to look at the clock and started to count.

Emma and Paul went back upstairs.

"Are sure thirty minutes?" He asked. "What if they come back up again?"

She gave a small smile. "They can't count past twenty." She stated. After a while, he two finally finished building the bed. Paul helped her place the mattresses on the beds and assisted in getting the bookshelves and tables out of the room. They left it at the end of the hallway for Emma to think of next time.

He checked the time. "You should get to the kids." He reminded. The two went down to see the kids.

"Head and foot all better?" Emma asked them. The two nodded.

"I should head back now." Paul said.

"No, eat with us, Paul!" Shu begs.

"That depends. Is Emma cooking?" Paul asked.

"We're eating out." She answered.

"Well, I'm alright with that." He answered.

"Come on. Let's get in the car." Emma said as the boys followed her out.

"Do you want me to drive?" Paul asked.

"My car, I drive." She answered as they got in the vehicle. "Seatbelts."

The two buckled their seatbelts as she started to drive.

"Where are we eating at?" He asked.

"Not sure yet." She said. "All these boys had yesterday been pancakes and cakes."

"I want pancakes!" Shu exclaimed.

"Cakes!" Reiji cheered.

"Nope. We can't have that again. You need to eat healthy." She said. It's strange that she's conscious for their diet instead of her own.

"Why don't we go to McDonalds?" Paul asked.

"That's not healthy." Emma reminded. However, the two boys were interest in the idea.

"McDonald?" Shu asked.

"What's that?" Reiji asked.

Paul laughed but as he noticed the two boys' expression in the rear view mirror, he stops.

"Seriously?" He asked. The two just look confused. Paul turned to Emma for a confirmation.

"They've never had McDonalds?" He asked.

"I don't think so. Maybe their parents hated it?" Emma pretended to look confused.

Paul seemed concerned as he glanced back at the boys. Then, he gave his usual grin.

"Guess, you're in for a treat. You'll love it!" He said.

The two boys were bouncing in their seats as they went to the mysterious placed called McDonald.

 **A/N: McD! Do you guys like McDonald? I like it but sometimes it's a bit expensive. Don't forget to review, follow and favorite! See you next time!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

They all sat down as Paul placed the tray down.

"Four drinks, one burger, one bucket of chicken and two happy meals." Paul said. He showed off each meal with the most exaggerated hand motions Emma has ever seen. "Enjoy."

Emma took the bucket of chicken and started to eat a drumstick. The two boys stared at their boxes before slowly opening it. Shu's blue eyes brightened up when he saw what was in it.

"A toy!" Shu exclaimed.

"And it's free too." Paul added with a casual wink. Reiji stared at his toy in awe while Shu tried to open the plastic his toy was in.

"Open, please." Reiji said as he held out his toy to Emma. Emma glanced at her hands that had crumbs and chicken juice.

"Eat, first." Emma reminded.

The two ate their chicken nuggets in a hurry. Paul leaned back as he watched the boys in amusement.

"Eat slowly." She added. The two boys slowly took their time.

"How come you never brought them here?" Paul asked. Emma was about to answer but was interrupted.

"We want to come here every day!" Shu cheered.

"I can't let you two eat _only_ chicken." Emma answered. After a while, they finished their meals.

"Let's wash our hands." Emma said as she stood up. The two boys followed after her. The sinks were at a lower height and allowed the two boys to wash their hands without help.

Emma wiped her hands with a tissue and went to help take the plastic off the toys. She passed it to them and they played with it at the table. A few children rushed past their table. Shu watched as the children went to a small playground.

"Can we play?" Shu asked as he looked at the playground.

Emma gave a small nod. Shu helped Reiji down and the two ran to the playground. Emma watched them with a fond smile.

"How long are you going to take care of them?" Paul asked. Emma looked back at him.

"Few months, maybe." She answered. "I had to take them last minute and their brothers will be coming soon."

"More of them. That's a lot of kids for you." Paul muttered as he shook his head. "Will you be alright with that?"

Emma gave a small scoff and smiled as if to assure him.

"I handle under pressure. I might discuss about it with our manager, though. Maybe have fewer work hours, if I could. Shu and Reiji might go to preschool next month. I may have to send the younger ones to a daycare." Emma explained.

"I don't even know how much that will cost." Paul says.

She nodded in agreement. She leaned back as she took a sip of her drink. Paul scratched the back of his neck as the two sat in awkward silence.

"Don't you want to talk with the parents?" He suggested. "Seems to be a bit selfish of them just to leave their kids with you."

Emma let out a loud laugh. Paul noticed dark bags under her eyes. He assumed from waking up early and or staying up too late with the kids. He was a bit worried. How come he didn't notice that earlier? However he didn't manage to speak out his concern.

"Trust me when I say he is. That's why he won't take no for an answer." Emma answered.

Paul bit his lower lip as he wondered what to say. They didn't know each other. And he wasn't sure if he's a friend or a nuisance. But this was the first time he's seen Emma's personality out of work.

"Why don't you ask your family for help?" He asked. The moment that question was brought up, Emma's smile hardened and Paul wished he didn't asked.

"No thanks." She said. "This is my business."

Asking her family's help was out of the question. This is something she didn't want her family to get involved. Not only because even she doesn't understand what's going on but it was also her pride. It was selfish for her to admit but her pride wouldn't allow her to ask.

Her parents, not to mention her brother, always worried for her. She knows they mean well but if there was a case where she did ask for help, it would be a nightmare. Her family might accidently make a slip and perhaps talk about her situation to her relatives. Emma knew what they would think.

'No wonder she didn't do well in university, she's been fooling around.'

There's no way Emma would be able to explain that these boys weren't even her kids. Her relatives would make everything up. They always did that when she was young.

"I'd rather not." Emma added once more.

"Alright." Paul replied.

"We should leave now." Emma stated as she abruptly stood up. Paul followed without question. She called for the young boys and they followed after them.

During the car ride, Emma didn't say a word to Paul. Luckily Paul didn't seem to mind. Instead he spoke with Shu and Reiji. He made silly faces that only seemed to make Shu laugh. Paul made more funny faces hoping to make the younger boy laugh. The boy stared bemused before playing with his toy.

When they finally arrived, Emma turned off the engine. They got out of the car.

"I should probably get back home now." He stated.

"You need to get your wallet." Emma said as she unlocked her door. "You left it here."

Paul raised an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure I paid for the meal." He said as he rummaged through his pockets.

"No, I paid for the food." Emma remarked as she walked inside with the boys. Paul walked into the house.

Paul looked around to see that his wallet was in the kitchen. He wanted to say goodbye to Emma but saw the boys were rushing around in the living room. Paul watched as Emma started to chase after them. The boys laughed as she tried to catch them. Paul leaned against the hallway. Shu hopped onto the sofa to escape from Emma. During Reiji's attempt to escape, he stumbled and Emma scooped him into her arms.

"Got you now!" She exclaimed. Reiji laughed as she tickled him. During the distraction, Shu jumped off the sofa and made a run to the kitchen. Paul caught him before he could. He squirmed but Paul had a firm grip.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked as Shu laughed.

The two adults played with the young boys. They chased them here and the two boys calmed down and Emma walked with Paul to the front door.

"Thanks for helping with the beds." Emma said.

He nodded. "Are you sure they'll be alright sleeping by themselves?" He asked.

Emma shrugged. "It's worth a try." She answered.

He turned but slowly looked back. "If you want, I can come and help once in a while." He suggested.

Emma shoved her hands into her pocket as she thought about it.

"I don't know." She replied.

"Only if you _really_ need the help, I mean." He said.

She looked at him for a moment and realized he was being genuine.

"I'll think about it." She said.

He grinned. "Great."

He turned and walked to his car as Emma watched.

"Thanks Paul." She said. He turned back to see her

"No problem." He answered. "See you tomorrow."

Emma gave a warm smile and watched him leave before closing the door. She walked back into the living room to see the boys watching the tv.

"Let's go to bed." She told them. They followed without complaint up the stairs.

Shu glanced at her room and stopped when he saw they were going to the study room.

"Why not there?" He asked, a bit confused as he pointed at the bedroom.

"You two are both big boys. I'm sure you two can sleep by yourself." Emma explained.

She went out to get a lamp to act as a nightlight. She came back to see Shu and Reiji sitting at the edge of the bed with a pout on their face.

"I want to sleep with you." Shu said as Reiji locked his arms around Emma.

"But your brothers might come soon and what's going to happen? How are they going to sleep?" She asked.

"We sleep together." Shu answered as if it was a perfect solution. She tried to hold back a laugh.

"You won't fit in one bed." She replied. "Let's try for tonight and see."

She tucked them both for bed. "You have a nightlight." She assured.

"Too dark." Reiji muttered. She gave a small smile.

"I'll leave the door open, then."

The two boys nodded in agreement.

"Good night." She said. She left the door ajar as she heard the boys bid her goodnight.

She walked into her room as she heard the two boys whisper goodnight to each other. She pushed her door close but stopped to leave it open.

* * *

 **A/N: The boys will be sleeping alone for the first time. As always review follow and favorite! See you next time!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Last night was horrible. Throughout the night, she would be woken up by the young boys. Whether it was the light pouring in from the hallway or the soft footsteps, she would be woken up by them. Every time they did that, she would bring them back to their room to sleep. When she thought it was over and she could finally sleep, she woke up only to find out she had slept in the study room as per Reiji's request. Usually people would brew coffee for them to get some energy but Emma wasn't like that. For some reason, she's grown immune to the effects that she just becomes more tired after drinking a cup. Instead she drank a glass of cold milk.

She placed it in the sink as she started to clean the dishes. Shu and Reiji had finished breakfast and were now in the living room. She wasn't exactly sure what they were doing. She could hear that the tv was on but also heard the boys running around. After she washed her hands clean, she heard Shu call out to her.

"Emma!"

She turned to see the two boys rushing over to her. Each of them took her hand before she could dry them and began tugging her forward.

"What's going on?" She asked a bit confused. They were all insistent and Emma was too tired to notice as she allowed them to drag her.

"They're here!" Shu exclaimed.

"What?" She mumbled before giving a huge yawn. "Who's here?"

Reiji jumped to open the door after Emma unlocked it for them. As she opened the door, something attacked her legs, causing her to tumble backwards. Her head banged against the wooden floor and she groaned in pain. What had happened?

She slowly sat up and looked down to see three pairs of eyes staring at her. She stared back in confusion. The middle child had purple hair and eyes while beside him were redheaded boys with green eyes. They looked younger than Reiji, perhaps two years old. She instantly knew who they were.

After the quiet meeting, the three toddlers scrambled up and ran to different rooms. She picked herself up and Reiji handed her a letter that he found on the ground. She knew whom it was from. As she closed the door, she opened the letter and read it.

 _Terrible twos are a handful but triple that and you have a lot to deal with. I hope the best for you and your health. Take care._

"If you cared for my health, then take your kids back." She grumbled as she crumbled the letter. "Good for nothing old man."

That horrible Vampire King. She couldn't help but wonder why he chose her to take care of his sons.

She realized that the triplets have separated from the sounds of objects clattering to the ground. "Shu, Reiji, find the triplets." She ordered. The toddlers nodded and they split up to gather the triplets.

She rushed to the living room to see a little redhead drawing on the wall. He was using one of the pencils that the older boys must have used when they were drawing. She ran up to him to stop him.

"Stop that." She said as she picked him up. She winced as she watched the pencil tip trail up the wall from her actions. The little boy squirmed before screaming his lungs out. She assumed that the boy in her arms was Ayato. She tried to get a good grip on him. She yowled in pain when he bit her but made sure she didn't drop him. She moved him to her other arm so she could take a good look at the bite mark. Her skin blushed red but thankfully his teeth didn't pierce her skin.

"Where are the others?" She muttered with panic.

"Found him!" Shu called out.

She looked to see another redhead crying as Shu and Reiji carry him. Laito wailed as he struggled in his older brothers' grip. His hair was slightly longer than Ayato.

"Where's the last one?" Emma asked, wincing as Ayato decided to use his small legs to kick her side. Shu shrugged while Reiji shook his head. Emma groaned in defeat.

"Stand up." She said as she held Laito's arm. He whined only to suddenly latch onto her leg. She tried to pull him off but failed at her attempt.

She heard clattering from the kitchen and trudged over to the room. She widened her eyes to see Kanato walking near the edge of the counter. She trudged faster to catch him before he could fall. She grabbed his waist and got him off the counter.

He wailed and his cries were louder than Laito and Ayato. Shu and Reiji closed their ears while Emma shuffled back to the living room. She felt sore everywhere and she dropped Kanato and Ayato onto the sofa. She firmly grabbed Laito and placed him right next to them.

Finally she had managed to keep them in one place. The three glared at her. She was already getting a migraine. She sat down at the edge of the table so that they would have the same eye level. The triplet's eyes were red from crying. She tried to give out a friendly smile.

"My name is Emma." She introduced. "I'll be taking care of you."

Ayato blew a raspberry at her in defiance. Laito and Kanato laughed in response before following him. She gave a small sigh. What is she going to do? She has work today. She can't deal with them. She didn't even have the time to find a daycare to drop them off at. Is she really going to have to bring them along?

The first thing she needed to do is breakfast. At least she did grocery. But what do toddlers eat. She tried to remember what kind of food her brother gives for his kids. They were mostly fruits. She does have apples and grapes. Maybe she'll give them that. She went to the kitchen to cut up some more fruits for the triplets to eat.

"Here you go." She said as she placed the plate on the coffee table. The triplets stare at the plate. Slowly one by one, they took pieces of fruit. Shu and Reiji sat on the floor to watch the tv.

Emma looked at the tv before her eyes trailed up to the clock. That's when she remembered she had work this afternoon. What is she going to do? She groaned as she tried to think of a solution. Maybe bring them with her?

No, that won't work. It might work for Shu and Reiji but not the triplets. They'll wreak havoc at the coffee shop and her manager will be mad at her. What else she can do? She blinked as she remembered someone.

She had help but should she ask? She sighed before she gave in. She had to call him. She went out to the hallway and pulled out her phone. She hesitated before dialing his phone number and waited. She winced as her side hurt and knew she might get bruises that were the size of footprints. Soon Paul answered.

"Hello?" Paul asked.

"Paul, I need your help." She said.

"When I said call if you need help, I didn't expect you to do it the next day." He said.

She gave a nervous chuckle. "Well, things happen and let me just say I went from two boys to five." She answered.

"Really?" He asked.

"Do you want me to take a picture?" She asked.

"Nope." He replied. "So what do you need me for?"

"Can you help me find a daycare for me to drop them off at?" She asked. "I have to go to work this afternoon."

He didn't answer and for a moment Emma assumed that he might not be able to help.

"I think I know someone." He says. "She doesn't own a daycare but she used to be a preschool teacher."

Emma bit her lip with worry. That doesn't sound official. Was it really safe though?

"Do you have her phone number and address?" She asked. She heard shuffling as Paul tried to find something.

"I'll send you her address. I'll tell her the situation." He assured. "Maybe go there in two hours later."

Emma heard something fell on the floor.

"Emma!" Shu called out.

"Thank you. Bye." She blurted before ending the call. She rushed in to see what had happened.

"Plate broke." Reiji answered. She took a few steps to take a better look. The plate that the triplets were eating from had shattered. She slowly picked up the big pieces.

"Don't walk there." She warned. She rushed to the kitchen before the triplets could get any ideas. She threw the ceramic pieces and grabbed a small vacuum to clean up the mess.

She looked at the time. Alright, she should just trust Paul. Right now, she should give them a bath. She looked at all five of them and took a deep breath. If she wasn't tired before she was now. She felt like she was about to collapse in exhaustion.

"Alright." She said. "I can do this."

She gave a smile to the triplets. "Who wants a bath?" She asked.

They responded her with tearful screams.

* * *

 **A/N: Finally the triplets arrive! As always, don't forget to review, follow and favorite! See you next time!**


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

She looked at the house in front of her before she rang the doorbell. Emma adjusted her grip on the triplets. It was hard, driving over here with five toddlers in tow. Back at home, she struggled giving all five of them a bath. The triplets were making it especially hard for her. They ran off before she could dry them, leaving Emma to chase after them. She slipped on the wet floor multiple times. They even threw clothes out of the drawer when she was choosing outfits for them.

Changing location wasn't any better. She had to endure the car ride as the triplets cried due to the restraining seatbelts. Shu and Reiji closed their ears to block out the sound during the travel.

"Please be worth it." She muttered under her breath. She doesn't know who Paul had recommended but she knew she will turn around and leave if the person wasn't right for the job.

Finally the door open and she saw a woman in front of her.

"Hello." She greeted.

She had brown hair that she placed in a low ponytail and she had light green eyes. She wore a light cardigan over her black shirt and seemed to have worn brown pants.

"Hi." Emma replied and pulled Ayato up a bit when he was starting to slip.

The woman took an eyeful of the kids before smiling.

"You must be Emma." She said with a grin. "I'm Rose."

"Hi, I would shake your hand but…" Emma glanced down at the triplets to show her point.

Rose chuckled. "Let me help." She said. She took Kanato and Laito and brought them both inside. Emma glanced at Rose as she noticed an accent in her voice. It was subtle but Emma could still hear it.

Emma ushered Shu and Reiji to follow inside. Rose let the two boys go and they started to run into the living room. Emma placed Ayato down and he did the same.

"How do you know Paul?" Emma asked.

"He's a friend of a friend." Rose answered as they went into the living room. "Would you like some tea?"

Emma thought if she should. She didn't want to stay too long or she might be late for work. She glanced at her watch as she decided to have a drink.

"Just one cup and I'll leave." Emma answered. Rose walked off to the kitchen.

Emma looked around at the decoration. It had a British style to it. A bit elegant but at the same time it had a splash of creativity. The couch was a royal blue and there were strange ornaments that were held display on the shelves. Emma glanced at a particular wall that had flower designs.

"What's that?" Shu asked. He jumped on the couch to look at the knick knacks on the shelf. Reiji climbed up to have a look.

"Sit down you two." Emma scolded. "This isn't our house. You have to be good."

However, despite the two boys sitting back down, the triplets started to jump on the couch.

"Monkey see monkey do." Emma quoted in exasperation. She stood up to calm the triplets down.

"Here you go." Rose said as she entered placing the tray of tea and cookies. The triplets sat back down in a hurry when they saw the sweets.

"I thought they'd never calm down." Emma joked. Rose laughed in response as she sat down. Emma leaned to take the cup of black tea and took a sip. She glanced back at the decorated wall, causing Rose to see what caught her attention.

"My youngest has a habit of drawing on the walls. So I tried to make it look prettier." Rose answered.

Emma examined the design and noticed that it was just a scribble. It was a line drawn in loops where the width of the line would thicken or thin. Flowers adorn the lines to make it resemble a bush of flowers.

"That's… smart." Emma complimented. Emma would've just given the wall a new layer of paint but to each their own. She drank her tea before she asked a question.

"Are you British?" She asked.

Rose gave a grin. "Yes I am." She answered.

"How long have you been in America?" Emma asked.

Rose thought for a moment before giving an indifferent shrug. "Can't remember. I'm not staying permanently. We come and go. My husband doesn't like to stay in one place."

"He travels?" She asked.

"Yes, nothing can stop that man." Rose answered with a chuckle. Emma looked at the knick knacks that must have been souvenirs from his travels.

Emma nodded before asking another question. "How many kids do you have?" She asked.

"Two." Rose answered. "Not as much as you though."

Rose gestured at the five boys and Emma almost choked on her tea.

"They aren't mine." Emma corrected. "I'm taking care of them for a _friend_ but I have work today and I didn't know who else can take care of them."

"So Paul told you to come meet me." Rose guessed.

Emma nodded. "Is that alright for you?" Emma asked with worry. "If not, it's alright. You don't _have_ to take care of them."

Rose shook her head. "It's fine." She assured. "Since my kids are with my husband, I have all the free time today. I can take these boys off your hands for a while."

Emma stopped herself from sighing in relief. She was hoping Rose would take care of them today. She needed someone to take care of them. Emma glanced at her watch and quickly drank her tea.

"I should be going now." Emma stated as she quickly stood up. "I'll be back at 4."

"They can be a handful." Emma said. Rose gave a dismissive wave.

"Don't worry." She said. "I'll take good care of them."

Even so, Emma told Rose her number in case if there was any emergency so that Emma would come straight here in case.

She went to the entrance and was about to leave when she heard small footsteps follow her. She turned to see the boys staring up at her.

"Where are you going?" Shu asked.

Emma gave a small smile before kneeling down to Shu and Reiji.

"I'm going to work." She answered.

"Don't go." Shu replied. Reiji held Emma's sleeve.

"Stay here." Reiji said. Emma ruffled both their hairs.

"It's just for a while." Emma said.

"I wanna go with you." Shu said while Reiji nodded in agreement.

"I need you to stay here with Rose." She started. "You guys can play games with her."

The two boys frowned in response.

"I'm putting you in charge. You two are leaders." Emma said with a deep voice. They looked intrigued.

"If the triplets be naughty, I need you two to tell Rose." She added. "You can do that right?"

They nodded in response. "Yeah!" They cheered. Rose chuckled at their enthusiasm.

"I'll come back soon." Emma said with a grin.

"How long?" Shu asked.

"Not sure but I'll be back." Emma promised. "Be good."

"Okay." Reiji answered.

"If anything happens, just give me a call." Emma said as she looked at Rose.

Rose nodded with a smile.

"We'll be fine." Rose answered.

Emma nodded before looking back at the boys. Shu and Reiji gave a small wave while the triplets stood beside them. Emma took a deep breath. She's actually leaving them alone. She was starting to worry about them. She knew Shu and Reiji will be alright but she was more worried about the triplets. They just got here today. She didn't know about their behavior. What if they were too much to handle? Imagine what they might do if she wasn't here to look after she shouldn't leave them? That thought was ridiculous, she thought.

She turned around to stop herself from looking at them. "See you soon." She said. Emma was about to walk out the door but was pull back. She glanced down to see that the triplets were stopping her. Laito and Kanato held her legs while Ayato gripped at her right hand.

"I have to go to work." She said. She gave a small groan. She sounded like her brother when he leaves his kids with her.

The triplets whined which was strange. A few hours ago, they were trying to make her life a living hell. Now they were acting as if they want her.

She gently pried them off of her before getting out of the house. As she got into the car, she had hesitated for a moment. Emma looked back at the house to see the five boys at the window. Shu and Reiji waved goodbye while the triplets were wiping their tears away. Emma gave a fond smile and waved back before she started the engine. She sighed at the peace and quiet before driving off to work. It's only a few hours of work and she can just come straight back to pick them up.

* * *

 **A/N: First time Emma is leaving them alone... How will that go? As always follow, favorite and review. See you next time!**


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

She was driving a bit too fast when her shift ended. She was going straight to Rose's house to pick up the boys. She was worried of what she'll see. Will the house be a complete mess? What if Rose doesn't want to babysit them anymore? She parked at the driveway and got out of the car. With large strides, she walked up to the door and knocked against the wood. She waited for a while before the door opened and she saw the brunette.

"Emma, you're here early." Rose greeted with a smile.

"I was worried." Emma said, honestly. Rose chuckled and let her in. "Where are they?"

"They're in the kitchen." She told her. Emma nodded and went to the kitchen.

She widened her eyes at the sight of the kitchen. It was almost nearly covered in flour.

"Emma!"

She didn't have the time too react when the boys hugged her. She glanced down to see flour covered her jeans.

"Were you baking?" She asked. The kids nodded.

"I had to get them distracted somehow." Rose says. She leaned to whisper, "As soon as you left, the triplets started to cry."

Emma winced as she remembered how their cries sounded like. Emma looked at the cookie cutters that were on the table. She was right that she would find a mess but this was sort of a very pleasant mess.

"We made a lot!" Shu exclaimed. Emma chuckled as she knelt down. With her thumb, she wiped away the flour on Reiji's cheek.

"You boys need to clean up." She said. Emma helped Rose take the aprons off and wash off the flour on them.

They all went to the living room so that the toddlers could play.

"Thank you so much." Emma said to Rose.

"No problem." Rose replied. "If you want, I could babysit them whenever."

"Oh, you don't need to." Emma assured. However deep down, Emma knew she needed as much help as possible.

"I insist." Rose pressed. Emma sighed in relief and watch Shu and Reiji draw. The triplets sat on the carpet as they played with blocks.

Three towers were made. Kanato's tower… didn't look like a tower when Emma looked closer. It was a short building with a large base. Laito made a tall building with the large base with layers growing smaller. Ayato's tower was flimsy as he placed one block on top of the other. Soon, Ayato's tower toppled over.

"Oh…" Ayato blinked at the heap of blocks. He giggled at his tower and started to rebuild it. Once he was satisfied with the height, he pushed the tower over. He laughed in excitement. He looked at Laito's tower in awe. When Laito turned to get another block, Ayato reached out and shoved the tower over. Laito turned back to see his tower was nothing but a pile.

He stared at it and slowly his eyes watered and his lips formed a pout. He cried in disappointment. Emma quickly stood up to his aid.

"It's ok." She assured. She hugged him and slowly built a tower. Laito calmed down as he watched her with quiet sniffles. Finally, he continued to build the tower with a happy smile. However, Ayato chose another target to pester.

Ayato reached out to grab a small block from Kanato's building but the small boy was quick. Kanato slapped the redhead's hand away. He glared at him as he continued to build his base. Ayato reached again but Kanato slapped him harder.

"Ayato, don't. That's Kanato's." Emma said. She then took out more blocks from the box.

"There's more here." Emma reasoned. However, Ayato still wanted the block from Kanato's building. Ayato grabbed the block before Kanato could react. Kanato screamed while Ayato was hugging the block to his chest.

"Ayato, give it back." Emma said calmly.

Kanato reached out but Ayato pulled it away.

"No!" Ayato yelled.

"Ayato, that's not yours." Emma said.

Kanato reached for the block but this time, Ayato hit Kanato on the forehead with it. Kanato cried while Ayato stared in surprise.

"Alright, that's enough." Emma said as she stood up. She looked down at Ayato as she was about to say the words she always say when her nieces and nephews cause trouble.

"You're in time out." She said with a frown. Ayato stared at her, a bit confused about the words she said. She leaned down to grab his hand. She firmly pulled him up and took him to the corner of the room.

"Sit here. You can't play because you hit Kanato." She said as she made him sit.

Ayato watched Emma walk back to the rest. Slowly, he stood up and joined them. Before he could play with the blocks, Emma hoisted him off the floor and placed him back to the corner. As she turned, Ayato followed after her with a small pout. She grabbed him before he could rush past her.

The boy cried as he struggled in her grasp. He was placed back into the corner but that didn't stop him as he rushed back to the toys. Emma was always there to stop him and put him back as he screamed. He didn't make it easier as he continued to struggle. After a while, he stopped and stayed in the corner. He continued to weep, hoping to get attention. Rose was still cleaning the kitchen and Emma had her back towards him. The brothers had kept glancing at him but finally continued to play.

Emma checked her watch to see that it was time for her to take Ayato out of time out. As the little redhead saw Emma walk towards him, his cries turned into small whimpers.

"Don't hit people." Emma scolded. "Say you're sorry."

Ayato reached out for a hug but Emma held him at arm's length.

"Say you're sorry." Emma repeated.

"Sorry…" He muttered with a sob.

Emma hugged him and softly rubbed his back.

"Go say sorry to Kanato." Emma said.

Ayato toddled towards Kanato on a mission. "Sorry." Ayato muttered as he hugged Kanato.

"We have cookies!"

Emma and the boys looked up to see Rose walk in with a large plate. Her mouth watered at the smell and wondered if the boys actually helped make the cookies. When Rose set the plate down, Emma smiled at the sight of the cookies. They were wobbly and the thickness was uneven. Some were in different shapes. Circles, squares and triangles. Half were simple vanilla cookies, others were chocolate.

"Wow. They look delicious." Emma said. "Good job."

She ruffled each toddler's hair causing them to laugh.

The phone suddenly rang and Rose got up to answer. Emma ate a cookie and the boys took one for themselves. As she watched the boys, she listened to Rose's conversation.

"What happened?" Rose asked the caller. It was silent for a moment. "Oh dear… Do you want me to take care of the kids?"

"Alright. I'll be there." Rose said before ending the call.

"Anything wrong?" Emma asked when the brunette walked in.

Rose smiled. "My husband brought the kids to his work. Something happened so he wants me to pick up the kids." She explained.

"Guess we should leave." Emma joked.

Rose rolled her eyes. "You make it sound like I'm kicking you out." She replied. She took the plate of cookies. "Let me pack these for you."

While Rose packed the cookies, Emma wiped the crumbs off the boys' faces.

"Thank you." Emma answered when Rose came back with containers.

"Just bring them back the next time you need babysitting." Rose said.

"I will." Emma answered. "Say goodbye to Rose."

Rose knelt down to hug Shu and Reiji. Shu leaned to give a kiss on her cheek.

"Bye bye." Shu said.

"Bye." Reiji said.

Emma looked to see the triplets huddled around her legs. "Come on, say goodbye." She gestured.

Rose chuckled. "They're still shy. It's alright." She answered. She waved at the three boys.

Slowly they waved back to her.

"Thank you so much, Rose." Emma repeated.

She helped the boys get in the car.

"You should buy baby seats." Rose suggested. Emma nodded.

"I'll do that." She replied as she put the safety belt on Shu before going to the back seats.

She made sure Reiji and Laito share the same belt. She knew that Laito was the least fussy out of the triplets. She distracted Kanato with the rabbit doll and was able to put his seatbelt on. Ayato whined as he was not keen on sitting in the car again but she managed.

"We still have time left." Emma said as she turned her engine on. "Let's go to the park."

"What's a park?" Shu asked.

"Park?" Reiji asked, confused.

"Park!" The triplets repeated it with joy despite not knowing what a Park is.

"You guys can make friends there." Emma explained. She watched Shu's eyes brightened.

"You want to go?" She asked. Shu nodded at her.

"To the park we go!"

* * *

 **A/N: Emma going out to the park with them as if they were human toddlers. Yes, Rose is from my other story 'Into Fiction. Not so subtle reference. As always, don't forget to favorite, follow and review! See you next time!**


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Emma took a deep breath of the fresh air. She held Shu and Reiji's hands as they walked in the park. Shu had held Laito while Reiji held Ayato. Kanato sat perched on Emma's shoulders. The cookies were in a backpack that she had luckily brought with her. She would be lying if she said she wasn't tired from the weight on her. Finally, they reached a playground.

She knelt down so that Kanato could climb off of her. She redid her hair into a ponytail.

"Wow!" Shu exclaimed. Emma glanced at Reiji to see that his eyes were now in the shade of brown. She turned to see Kanato was identical to his brothers with red hair and green eyes. She assumed it was a disguise to hide their strange appearance. She wasn't sure how it works but at least it prevented from any strange looks from people. She paused for a moment. She didn't notice that change when they were in front of Rose. Panic began to increase but she quickly stopped it. Perhaps she wasn't paying close attention. If their appearance were still the same, Rose would have questioned it but she didn't. Emma assured herself everything was fine.

"What are you waiting for?" She asked as she knelt down to their level. "Go have fun."

The five boys grinned and they all turned, ready to split up.

"Wait. Why don't we go play together?" She suggested, nervously. The boys were fine with the suggestion.

"I want to go on that." Shu said as he ran towards the playground. The younger brothers followed after him.

"Do you need help?" Emma asked as Shu tries to climb up the slide.

"No!" He answers. He tries his hardest to get up only to slide back down. He looks up to see a little girl at the top of the slide.

Emma chuckled at his surprised face.

"Hi!" The girl greeted cheerfully. Shu looked away and tried to climb up the slide. He slid back down.

"How did you climb?" He asked. She giggled.

"You're wrong!" She pointed behind her. "Here!"

Shu stood up and walk around the slide. He stared at the ladder.

"Why Emma not help me?" He asked. He looked upset at Emma.

"You're a big boy. You wanted to do it yourself." She said.

Emma watched him climb up, making sure he didn't stumble.

He looked at the girl.

"Like this!" She said. She demonstrated by sitting down. She gave herself a push and she slid down.

Kanato who was nearest to the slide, stumbled back in surprise when she slid down. She got off the slide and went to play elsewhere. Shu looked down to see his brothers.

"Hi." He greeted with a wave. The boys waved back.

"Sit down." Emma instructed. Shu slowly sat down and pushed forward. A smile grew on his face as he slid down.

"Fun!" He exclaimed.

He went back to climb up the ladder. The rest of the boys followed also wanting to try the slide.

"Take turns." Emma said as the triplets began pushing each other.

Shu slid down with a cheer. Reiji followed after. He was surprised as the wind blew against his face as he slid. When he reached the bottom, he let out a giggle. Then came Ayato and after was Laito, leaving Kanato at the very top of the slide.

"Kanato!" Shu called out.

Kanato froze at the top of the slide. The slide was almost as tall as Emma, which wasn't exactly that high up from the ground. However, Emma knew it was terrifying for Kanato.

"Scary." He whimpered and reached out for Emma. But Emma didn't reach out to help him.

"It's alright. It's not that scary." Emma assured.

"Kanato, we catch you!" Shu said.

Ayato and Laito went closer to the slide and held their arms out. Kanato shakily sat down on top of the slide. With a push, he slid down and his brothers caught him. Emma smiled as the boys laughed and cheered.

Reiji looked at the swing set.

"There." He tugged at Emma's hand and pulled her towards it as the group followed.

"Up!" Emma helped Reiji get on the swing while Shu helped himself.

Emma pulled the swing that Shu sat on and let go. Shu swung forward with a grin on his face. Emma did the same for Reiji albeit slower. Shu was getting used to the swing and was playing by himself. The triplets watched at the side of the swing set. Their heads followed every movement of their older brothers. Emma pushed Reiji slowly. From her position, she couldn't tell if he was having fun or not but once in a while, small laughs from him was enough.

"Ayato, I'll push you." Shu said as he got off the swing.

"Make sure he gets on it." Emma reminded as Shu helped Ayato. The small blonde replied with a yes.

After he was sure that Ayato was on, he pulled the swing back before shoving it forward. Ayato laughed in excitement as he swung back and forth.

Emma slowly stopped Reiji to let Laito have a turn. As she helped Laito get on the swing, Reiji positioned himself behind the swing.

"Can you really do it?" She asked but took a step back to let Reiji push Laito. Emma watched them before Kanato started to seek her attention.

"What's wrong?" She asked softly and let him drag her by the wrist. She looked to see that he wanted to go to a food stand.

"I'm going with Kanato, alright?" She told the boys. "If you're done, we'll be there waiting." She said. "Can you do that?"

"Yes!" Shu exclaimed. This caused the other boys to repeat the word.

Emma sighed. How can she believe them? However, she still followed Kanato. Kanato jumped slightly, unable to see what was being sold. She picked him up to let him see all the candy.

"We already have cookies and you want to buy more sweets?" She asked him. She was replied with a smack on the shoulder.

He started pointing at the large lollipops.

"You can't finish that." She said.

"Want." He replied. She reached out to take it. Slowly, she held it beside Kanato. It was the same size of his head. Even Emma wouldn't be able to finish it. She placed it back when Kanato tried to grab it.

"Do you want it?" She asked. He nodded. She sighed but thought of a great idea.

"Can I have that one?" She asked the seller, pointing at a lollipop at the very back of the rest. She paid for it and they went to a bench to sit at.

Kanato reached out for the lollipop and she gave it to him after she took off the plastic. For a moment, Kanato stared at the lollipop in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked, pretending to be oblivious.

"I don't want this." He answered. He held out the lollipop at her. Emma looked to see that the lollipop was very small.

"It's the same." Emma lied. He shook his head. Emma then named the colors of the lollipop which were the same colors of the giant lollipop.

"No." He still insisted. "Small."

Emma gently took the candy and held it out to compare it to the giant lollipops.

"See, it's the same size." She pointed out. The stall was a distance away from them, which made both lollipops look the same size.

Kanato stared in confusion before finally taking it in his hand and licking it. Emma gave a small smile of victory and watched the other boys play.

After a while, the boys finally joined them.

"Don't run!" Emma called out. No sooner had she warned them, Laito tripped and fell face first into the grass.

"Laito!" Kanato called out. With a lot of effort, Kanato got off the bench and went to help Laito. Emma stood up and helped him stand. Laito didn't cry but looked a bit dazed from the fall.

"Be more careful." She said. She dusted the dirt off his clothes. Kanato used his hand to wipe away the dirt on his brother's face. Emma smiled and pinched Laito's nose, earning a giggle from him.

"Laito, are you okay?" Shu asked. The redhead nodded.

"Hungry." Reiji told Emma.

"All right then." She answered. She turned to Kanato and noticed that he was no longer holding his lollipop.

"Where's your candy?" She asked. Kanato looked at her with a smile.

Emma glanced to see that the other boys were also sharing the same smile. That was when she caught them glancing at Ayato. She turned to see the boy cover his mouth to stop himself from laughing. She tilted her head to look at him properly. That was when she realized.

From the movement, she felt something stick against the back of her ear. She quickly reached and felt the lollipop tangled in her ponytail.

"Ayato!"

* * *

 **A/N: Ayato's being naughty again! As always, make sure to favorite, follow and review! See you next time!**


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

After being in a public washroom to wash the stickiness out of her hair, the group went to have a picnic. Emma laid the blanket over the grass and under the shade of a tree for the boys to sit on.

The boys sat on the blanket while Emma rummaged through the bag. She had sandwiches, which she had to buy from her workplace. She wasn't sure what the boys might like, so she bought one of each. She also bought a few muffins that were a bit squashed from being inside the bag. She took out a thermostat that had hot chocolate. There was a bottle of water she bought for herself.

Emma took a bite out of her sandwich as the boys enjoyed theirs. Fortunately, they didn't make a fuss about the sandwiches and actually liked it. The lunch was peaceful until…

Shu looked to his left to see a squirrel climbing down a tree. He glanced at the chocolate muffin in his hand and took one of the almond toppings from it. He held out the nut towards the squirrel. He glanced at his brothers to see they were too distracted to notice the small animal. Realizing that there was food in the blonde's fingers, the squirrel inched closer towards him. With inches between them, the squirrel gave a suspicious sniff before trying to grab the nut.

That was when a huge bark scared the squirrel causing it to retreat back up the tree.

Shu stood up in confusion and stared up at the tree to find the squirrel. Suddenly, he was knocked over by a force.

"Shu!" Emma called out as she went to his aid. Shu's confusion slowly turned to laughter when the creature started to lick him. Emma helped Shu stand up while he wiped the saliva off his face. The younger boys looked at the creature in confusion. Emma looked to see that it was a German Shephard that almost towered Shu.

For a moment, Emma was about to shield Shu away from the dog. But from the wag of its tail and its excited panting, she realized that it just wanted to play

The large dog sniffed at Shu's pockets with curiosity. Shu laughed and patted his pockets to prove that he had nothing. There was rustling in the tree that caught the canine's attention. It barked up at the tree in hopes that the squirrel might fall off the branch.

"I am so sorry!" A man ran up. He quickly grabbed the end of the dog's leash and turned to Emma.

"I should have kept an eye on him." He apologized, a bit flustered.

Emma gave a smile. "It's alright. Just a rough tumble." Emma assured. She turned to see Shu hugging the dog. Reiji took a step closer to look at the dog. The excited dog licked Reiji across the face, causing the boy to stumble back in surprise. The triplets were stroking the dog's fur. It seemed to like the attention. It's tail wagged back and forth, showing its excitement.

"How old is it?" Emma asked as she pats the dog's head.

"Just a year old." The man answered.

"Alright, all of you." Emma said to the boys. "Say goodbye to the doggy."

"No!" Shu whined. "I wanna play."

"He's not ours alright." Emma replied. After a few persuasions the boys let go of the dog. They waved goodbye and watched the dog leave with the owner. Emma watched Shu eat his muffin with a small smile.

"Shu, do you like dogs?" She asked.

He nodded with a smile. "I love them!" He answered.

Emma whistled. "You _love_ them?" She asked, playfully. "How much do you love them?"

He held out his arms wide. "This much!" He cheered.

"Do you love dogs or your brothers?" She asked. She turned to Laito who reached out and generously shoved ham from his sandwich into her mouth.

"I love dogs and brothers." Shu answered. Emma pulled Laito onto her lap and chewed the food in her mouth.

"You love both of them?" She asked after swallowing. Shu nodded. "Choose one."

Shu thought for a moment. "Brothers." He answered.

"Give them a kiss then." Emma said. Shu gave each of his brothers a peck on a cheek. Reiji and Laito didn't seem to care, Ayato only wiped his cheek and Kanato giggled at the affection.

Finally Emma threw away the rubbish and folded the blanket. Emma took a package of bread from her bag.

"Do you know what it is?" She asked.

"Bread!" Reiji answered. Emma smiled and pointed at the lake.

"We're going to feed the ducks." She said.

They all went to the edge of the lake. The ducks slowly swam towards them.

"Everyone, take a bread each." Emma said. She watched the boys feed the ducks. She turned to Ayato and chuckled to see him eating the bread himself. Ducks huddled towards him, watching him. He reached the bread out to them before suddenly turning away to eat the bread.

"Don't be mean to the ducks." Emma said but she couldn't help but laugh. The ducks then swam towards Laito who was giving the ducks each pieces of the bread.

Emma looked and grinned at the sight. "That's beautiful." She muttered.

Swans gracefully swam towards them. One stole from the ducks that Shu was feeding.

"Emma, he's a bully." Shu called out. He turned to look at the swan. "Don't eat their food."

Reiji reached out to feed the swan. The other swan targeted Kanato. It towered and reached for the large piece of bread. Kanato pulled away from the swan. However, due to its long neck, the bird still was able to reach for the bread. Kanato hid behind Emma but the swan was still hungry as it got out of the water and waddled towards the toddler.

Emma knelt down and gently guided Kanato's hand towards the swan. The swan stared at the bread before using its beak to take it. With the bread, it swam off peacefully. Emma watched the two swans share the bread as they swam away…

Right past a 'don't feed the wildlife' sign.

"Let's leave." She quickly said as she ushered the boys away from the lake. When they were as far away as possible from the lake, Emma started to laugh.

The boys looked at her in surprised but slowly laughed alongside her.

* * *

"Can we get a dog?"

Emma helped Ayato put on his pajamas. Ayato went to reach for her glasses but she stopped him.

"No." She answered the blonde's question. She then helped Laito.

"Why?" Shu asked.

"Who else wants a dog?" Emma asked the boys. Instantly, the boys raised up their hands.

"Of course you all want one." Emma muttered. It was the first time they saw a dog and now they think it's the best thing in the world. Finally, she helped Kanato.

"Whose house is this?" Emma asked. She watched them all raise their hands. She shook her head.

"No, it's my house. Since it's my house, I don't want a dog." Emma stated. "Tell your mom to get one for you when you go back home."

She froze when she realized what she had just said. It was very insensitive since she knew how his mother was like. She remembered the heartbroken look on Shu's face when she took his puppy away from him. She turned to look at Shu who had a sad frown. He must've been thinking about his mom. She sighed and helped him to sit on the edge of his bed.

"Maybe we'll get a dog, alright?" Emma suggested. She couldn't believe she was saying this.

He held out his pinky finger and Emma blankly stared at it. Hesitantly, she locked her pinky with his. He's been here for a few days and she's already promising to get him a dog.

"Okay, time for bed." She said. After the park, the boys were tired which made it easy for her to make them sleep. She tucked the two oldest in bed.

"Goodnight, you rascals." She said as she closed the lights. She left the door slightly ajar and brought the triplets to her room. She helped them get on the bed and placed the large blanket over them.

"Goodnight, you three." She said. She waited for them to fall asleep before she could take a shower.

As she thought about the day, she realized she enjoyed it. During the first few days, she regarded them as the younger versions of messed up vampires. However, they weren't. They were young boys that lacked guidance from their own parents.

After she finished her shower and put on her sleepwear, she checked on all five of them. The older boys were sleeping more peacefully than how they were sleeping the first time on their own. Emma smiled as the triplets cuddled with each other.

She counted this as a victory for her. Finally, a peaceful night.

* * *

 **A/N: A nice day at the park ended. Don't forget to favorite, follow and review! As always, see you next time!**


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Emma realized that a peaceful night only increased her stress. As she browsed through websites, she was on edge. When she tried to watch an anime but as the episode played, the song blared out loud due to her not wearing her earpieces. She quickly pause the video and looked at the triplets. She froze up like a statue when Laito stirred in his sleep but he didn't wake up.

The light from the screen was beginning to hurt her eyes but she reminded herself not to turn on the lights or else. Even then, she had a hard time enjoying herself. She was tired from the park and the hot shower only made her drowsier. Every minute, she would glance away from the screen to check on the boys.

Finally, she couldn't take it any longer and went back to sleep. When she opened her eyes, she felt cramped. This was strange since she was sure she had been sleeping on the floor.

She glanced to see that the triplets weren't sleeping on her bed but was sleeping beside her. To her right, Shu and Reiji were also sleeping next to her, much to her confusion. They must have walked in during the night. So much for them trying to sleeping independently this time. She carefully stood up making sure not to wake them up. She checked the date. She's working today. She works on weekdays and is free on weekends.

Perhaps she should call Rose. She checked the time. Way too early for her to suddenly call Rose. She should call her later.

She was slowly getting into a routine. The day passed quickly. They ate, got a bath and Emma sent them to stay with Rose for a bit. She worked and went to pick them up.

"How does someone went from two kids to five?"

She closed her car door and walked along side Paul to Rose's doorstep. She was sure that they started to hang out with each other since Shu and Reiji came. She did talk to him before. But it was always at work. Never did she go out of her way to hang out with him or even anyone actually. It kind of made her a bit socially awkward.

"It wouldn't make sense. It hurts my brain even trying to explain it." She explained.

He nodded. "Do you need any new beds? I can help build them for you." He said.

Emma shook her head. "No need. They don't even use it." She sighed. She knocked on the door gently and almost instantly the door opened.

"The triplets saw you through the window." Rose greeted.

The triplets rushed past the brunette towards Emma. She balanced herself as they grabbed her legs.

"How do you manage to keep up with them?" Emma asked. "I'm with them most of the time and I feel like passing out."

"I have three kids but I think you're doing a great job." Rose said as we walked in.

"I had my mom's help but you're doing this on your own." She added.

They walked in to the living room.

"Emma!" Shu called out. He rushed up to Emma and pulled at her hand. Reiji followed after him as he waved a doll around.

"Magic!" He exclaimed.

"Magic?" Emma repeated.

"My husband was here a while ago. He was showing them magic tricks." Rose explained.

Emma smiled and turned to Shu. "He did magic, huh?" Emma asked.

Shu nodded. "He made the doll move and dance!" Shu told them. Paul and Emma chuckled.

"That's amazing." Paul commented.

"What else did he do?" Emma asked.

"He made Kanato fly!" Shu exclaimed. Emma carried Kanato.

"How high? Was it this high?" She held the boy off the ground. Shu nodded excitedly. Emma smiled at him.

She thanked Rose before they all left.

"Where do you want to eat?" Emma asked as she unlocked her car.

"McDonalds!" Shu and Reiji exclaimed.

"Who wants to drive with Uncle Paul?" Paul called out as he got in his car. Shu and Reiji rushed up towards him.

"I'm alright with that." Emma gave permission as she put on the triplet's seatbelts.

"Want to race?" Paul asked as she was about to get in her car.

She chuckled. "With kids? Are you insane?" She joked.

After a car drive and ordering their meal, Shu and Reiji guided their younger brothers to show them the playground.

"They all have small age gaps." Paul commented. "Are you sure your friend is busy? Cause he seems to have a lot of time with his wife."

Emma gagged. "Please don't make me think about that." She answered.

"No news when he's taking his kids back?" He asked. She shook her head.

"What a jerk." He commented.

"I agree with that." She replied. When the food arrived, Emma called the boys to come eat.

"Have a fun time with Emma?" Paul asked.

"Yup!" Shu exclaimed.

"Really? She's not boring?" Paul asked. Emma rolled her eyes as she helped Laito drink.

"Emma promised that we can get a dog." Shu suddenly said.

Paul chortled and Emma glared at him.

"Really, she promised that? What kind of dog?" He asked.

"It's big and has ears and tail. It's brown and black." Shu listed what he saw at the park. Paul turned to Emma, a bit confused by the description.

"German Shepherd." She answered. Paul immediately brightened up.

"My uncle has that." Paul said. Emma froze, staring at him with shock. Shu grinned with joy.

"Really?" He asked. Paul nodded.

"He has three puppies. Do you want one?" He asked. Emma started to pinch his arm. She wasn't sure which was worse. A dog that breaks everything or a puppy that demands attention? Paul grimaced but masked it as a smile.

"Emma, I want one!" Shu exclaimed. Emma stuttered as she tried to think of an excuse.

"We'll might have to think about it a bit more. Maybe wait until Subaru gets here and then the dog might come."

"You're buying a car?" Paul asked with confusion. "Can you really afford that right now?"

"It's their brother's name." Emma answered.

"Alright then. How many more are coming?" He asked.

"Just him."

Paul leaned back and gave a small gasp. "Six kids. I really pity you." He answered.

"You're right. You should pity me." She replied with a smirk.

"But I think you're getting used to this parent life." He added.

"I am?" Emma asked with doubt. Laito coughed after accidentally swallowing his drink wrong. Emma immediately rubbed his back until his coughing subsided.

"Emma, you promise!" Shu reminded. Emma nodded.

She wasn't a fan of animals. That sounds a bit harsh. She's alright with them but would rather not have the responsibility of having one. She didn't want to adapt her life around an animal that needs attention. If she were to pick one, it would be a fish. They were easier. You feed them and only clean their tank. They mind their own business and you mind your own. Plus, they can be used as interior decoration. Fishes are the perfect pets for her.

Her phone suddenly rang and Emma excused herself from the table.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Em, where are you?"

"Mike? I'm at McDonalds, why?" She asked. She was surprised that her brother would be calling her at this time.

"I'm at your house." He answered.

"Why are you at my house?" She asked, a bit confused.

"To give you money to pay for your bills." He answered.

She almost groaned in annoyance. "Mike… You don't have to help pay my bills. I have a job too." She replied.

"I know… I just wanted to make sure. What time are you coming back home?" He asked.

Emma froze. She didn't want her brother to see the boys. There will be a lot of questions she will have to answer.

"I'm not sure, actually. I'm out with my friends right now." She lied.

The line was quiet.

"Friends?" He asked. She knew he found it to be strange but she can't blame him. Not once has she ever talked about her friends to her brother.

"Yeah, my coworkers at my job wanted to eat out so I don't know when I will get back."

"It's fine!" Mike replied, sounding a bit too happy. "I'll just slide the money under your door.

"Thanks." She answered.

"Are you doing great?" He asked.

Emma gave a small smile at his worry. She wasn't as well of as him right now. She would be lying if she didn't go through some rough times.

"I'm great. I'm doing great." She answered. "I don't know what I would have done without you, mom and dad. Especially the house that grandma and grandpa left me."

She gave a shaky sigh. "I just have to do things myself from now on." She added.

"You know we're here for you." He answered. "You just have to reach out to us sometime. We're not doing this because we don't think you can do it."

Emma nodded her head. "I know." She answered. "I have to go."

"Alright." Mike answered, knowing that he can't make her talk to him any longer. They said their goodbyes and she went back to join the group.

* * *

 **A/N: Don't forget to follow, favorite and review! As always see you next time!**


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

A few days passed by and Subaru still hasn't arrived yet. Emma was alright with it. Gave her more time to research on how to take care of a one year old. She was also learning more on the boys.

Shu was the most talkative out of all of them. She always conversed with him as she knew it was good for his development. He was slightly more mature then his younger brothers. She learned a lot of his personality. Unlike his older counterpart, he enjoyed helping Emma. Whenever the triplets were being rowdy, he was ready to scold them. He liked the positive attention. If you let him be, his personality really blooms. He was a sweet boy. Emma knew that was something his own mother never saw. In fact, his mother probably pushed his personality away.

Reiji was quieter than Shu. He's almost emotionless. However, Emma learned to know what he wants from his behavior. Seeing his small actions, she knows whether he's hungry or tired. He was a bit clingy. Always following Emma whenever she leaves them for a while. He was really quick to take her hand when they walked and always listened to what she says. It was cute but sad as she knew it was because his own mother rarely paid attention to him. He's also observant. His thinking skills were really good. He solved the toys and knew where the puzzle pieces connected with each other.

The triplets were each very unique and different from each other.

Kanato was shorter than his brothers. He was sort of more innocent than his own counterpart. Kanato really enjoyed candy and would put up a nightmarish tantrum if he can't eat candy. Emma wasn't sure if there were different rules in allowing a vampire child eating candy. However, she also didn't like having him on a hyper sugar rush. He was also clingy, if not, a bit more than Reiji. He would always ask for a hug or wanted Emma to carry him instead of walking. He gets fussy without attention.

Laito was, ironically, angelic. He rarely fussed. Never threw tantrums. He mostly listens to Emma when she asks him to do something. He's also a bit independent. He would sometimes separate from the rest when he notices something. This always threw Emma in a panic as she always worried where he might be. It was dangerous whenever they were in public. Emma always had to keep an eye on him. He got distracted very easily.

Ayato is just as much as a demon as his older counterpart. He would do tricks to stress Emma out. Always finding a way to make his brothers laugh. He also seems to infect people and make them join him. Even Reiji would join Ayato to prank Emma. However, there is a limit to how much Emma could tolerate before sending the boy on timeout. Whenever that happens, Ayato would kick and scream throughout it all. Emma had a few bite marks on her arms from multiple previous scuffles. However, when his timeout is over, Emma instantly coddles him when he makes his sad puppy eyes.

However, she was a bit tired recently. After that call with her brother, she lost her appetite and let Paul eat her burger. When they went back home, she looked under the doormat to see that the letter of money was hidden under. She checked how much it was. Thankfully it was only half the money she needed to pay for the bills. Before Mike would sent more than enough to pay for five months.

She was strangely drained and weak. Reiji was the first to notice her behavior before telling Shu. Shu made sure that the triplets didn't cause a fuss while Emma was distracted.

"Do you want to sleep in my room this time?" Emma asked as she tucked Shu in his bed. He shook his head.

"I want to sleep here." Shu said and let out a yawn. For a moment, Emma thought that yawn sounded a bit fake.

She then went to tuck in Reiji when he got in his bed.

"Emma okay?" He asked with concern. His question surprised her. However, she wasn't going to tell him about her problems. Her problems were adult problems and he wouldn't understand.

"I'm okay." Emma lied. She gave him a smile and bid the two goodnights.

When she walked in her room, the triplets were already fast asleep in bed.

Emma adjusted the blanket so that they'll be warm. She lay down on the floor, her back no longer sore as she was now used to it.

She thought of her brother. He was very considerate. He was different from her cousins but maybe that was because their parents raised them right. She knew she shouldn't be thinking negatively. Whenever, her family helps her, she always wondered what she did wrong that made her end up like this.

She had better than average grades. She went to a good university. Her major was even Pharmacy. She was planning to be a pharmacist. Yet slowly, she burned out. The load of assignments, essays and presentations started to cripple her. Before she knew it, she was at her parents' doorstep and had dropped out of university. The smart confident girl that her parents raised turned to a broken poor dropout. She was the black sheep of the family. That day when she told her parents that she dropped out, she thought they would be disappointed. Instead, they were worried for her and it broke her heart for doing that to them.

Her brother reacted differently. She never told the truth to him face to face. All she did was text him. He went home after his twelve hour shift to scold her. She remembered him being in his scrubs after coming home straight from work. She saw the dark bags under his eyes. It was a reminder of all the work he accomplished. From medical school to being an intern, he got the job he worked for.

Why wasn't she more like him?

She stayed in her old room that night pretending to be asleep as her family spoke. Then after that, her family helped her get her life together. She slowly managed to get a job and her grandparents gave her their house. She also does her best to avoid a lot of family get together. She didn't want to see her cousins after she had dropped out of university. During that year, she was embarrassed of herself.

Emma stopped thinking about her old memories and slowly went to sleep. When she woke up, the toddlers were still in their beds.

She sat up and watched the triplets sleep. When Shu and Reiji first came, she noticed how different they were from their older versions. The differences in the triplets were even more remarkable. Their bond was different as toddlers. Right now, they were close brothers who would work together as a team either for something good or bad. While as teenagers, despite being triplets, they just tolerate with each other. Sure they were close compared to the other brothers but they never saw each other as brothers but rivals.

Ayato was taught to be the best in everything to gain his mother's love. Laito was sexually involved with his mother and mistook it as a parent's love. Kanato was barely given any attention and was only tasked to entertain his mother.

These young triplets' bond with each other will soon be torn apart. Emma frowned slightly.

"Emma!"

Emma quickly went into the older boy's room. She looked to see Reiji still asleep and Shu was sitting in his bed.

"What's wrong?" She asked, quietly.

"He disappeared." He answered. She furrowed her eyebrows. She turned on the table lamp. She sat on the floor, worried that the bed wouldn't stand her weight.

"Who disappeared?" She asked.

"The dog." He answered. Emma smiled. He was talking about a dream.

"What happened?" Emma asked. She listened attentively as he told her his dream. He had met a talking dog and they played in a forest but then the dog disappeared.

"So then he disappeared?" Emma concluded.

"Where did he go?" Shu asked.

"He went back home." She answered.

"Why? Does he hate me?" He asked.

She shook her head. "He likes you. That's why he played with you. He went home because he misses his family." She answered.

"He misses them?" Shu repeated.

Emma nodded. "Because his family is everything to him." She said.

"Ma…"

Emma turned to see Reiji stir in his sleep. A whimper escaped from his mouth. She went to him and gently rubbed his back. He opened his eyes and she saw tears.

"It's okay. Just a bad dream." She said. She hesitated when Reiji hugged her. She slowly held him close.

"Come here. Who hurt you?" Shu asked. He knelt down and opened his arms to Reiji. Reiji, who was starting to calm down, hugged him.

No sooner, the triplets woke up. Ayato stood at the doorstep with bleary eyes.

Emma smiled and opened up her arms. Despite being half awake, Ayato grinned and rush towards her. Soon Laito followed and then Kanato. Emma wrapped her arms around the triplet. Family is everything.

That was something she wanted the brothers to know and never forget.

* * *

 **A/N: This reveals more on Emma's background. Don't forget to favorite, follow and review. As always see you next time!**


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Today, she had wanted to bring them somewhere special. She remembered going to this place when she was young and knew that since years have passed, it went through many renovations. It might be different from what she was used to but as long as it was fun for the boys.

"Where are we?" Shu asked as he held the hands of Ayato and Laito. Reiji and Kanato were at Emma's sides as they walked.

Emma smiled at the boys as they entered the café. "This is a kids café." She explained.

As soon as they had entered, Emma could hear the excited shouts of children. Children rushed past them while tired parents followed.

"Wow!" Ayato exclaimed as they watched the jungle gym. Children played inside with the trampolines and slides.

"Is it okay for them to go in there?" Emma asked the cashier, pointing at the jungle gym.

"How old are they?" He asked.

"Two, three and four." She answered.

"They can go in." He replied. She smiled and paid the fee before they could get in. She put their belongings into a locker for safety.

She helped them put on their socks before going in the gym.

The place was colorful with animals painted on the walls due to the jungle theme.

"What shall we do first?" She asked loudly so they could hear her.

Ayato quickly rushed off and Emma ushered the rest to follow him. He slowly climbed up soft short stairs and jumped. The boys watched to see him pop out from under a ball pit. He laughed in excitement. His brothers soon followed. Emma chuckled as she stepped into the ball pit and slowly sat down. She watched as the boys pretended to swim in the ball pit. She looked to see a cushion sign. It had pictures of animals and punctured holes.

She took a green ball and threw it. It went through a hole near an elephant. Suddenly, a trumpet of an elephant blared in the room. The boys froze as they stare at the sign. Shu stood up and, with a red ball, threw it at the sign. It missed by an inch, however, the rest of the boys soon followed after him. They threw the ball at the sign, flimsily. Emma carried Reiji and walked towards the sign. With ease, Reiji pushed the ball through the nearest hole and hissing was heard from the angry snake.

"Me!" Shu exclaimed and continuously jumped to get Emma's attention. She picked up the boys one by one as they heard the different noises the animals made. She sat back down as she watched them play. She turned to see Shu stand up to leave.

"Shu, where are you going?" She asked. She fell on her back to block his way.

"I want to go there." He said as he climbed over her. Emma sat up and watched him climb up the stairs. As always, once a brother leaves, the rest follows after him.

She stood up and followed them. Shu shrieked as he jumped on the trampoline. The younger boys stared at him in confusion. He jumped a few times before landing on his behind. He stood up but faltered from the unstable ground. The boys followed Shu's actions and were just as clumsy.

As soon as Laito jumped, he fell on his back. Kanato tried to balance himself but failed as Shu excitedly jumped passed him.

"Stand up." Emma helped Ayato balance himself and he jumped slightly.

"Emma, jump, jump!" Shu said. Emma shook her head as she stood up.

"Jump!" Shu exclaimed as he jumped beside her.

Emma chuckled and jumped like Shu asked her too. When she did, the trampoline shuddered and caused the rest of the boys to fall down. Reiji, who was starting to get a hang of it, cried when he fell.

"I scared you, didn't I?" Emma asked as she helped him stand back up.

"Down." Kanato said as he tugged at her jeans. She gently sat back down and let Kanato sit on her lap. Emma and Kanato watched the boys jump on the trampoline.

Kanato got off her lap when he caught sight of a pipe. He went towards it and screamed into the pipe. His voice was heard at the other side of the room.

The boys looked around to find where the voice came from. Kanato giggled at the reaction. Ayato found the other end of the pipe and screamed in it. Kanato faltered but then screamed into the pipe. The two brothers continued to scream into the pipe, trying to scream louder than the other.

Shu laughed as he continued to jump while Laito jumps to move from one end of the trampoline to the other end.

"Can you quiet? My head hurts." Reiji said as he sat beside Emma. She laughed and gushed at how adorable he was. She tried to shush the boys but they weren't listening. Soon Ayato came up to her, holding his stomach.

"Hungry." Ayato said. Emma raised an eyebrow at him and glanced at the other boys.

"Already?" Emma asked. They barely even played at the other sections of the jungle gym. She knew that if one of them was hungry, they all have to get out of the jungle gym. She couldn't leave them to play by themselves.

"Well then, lead the way." Emma told him. She guided the boys out the gym and at cashier.

She looked at the menu. "Can I have one hot chocolate and four babyccino?" She ordered.

Babyccino was just extra foamy milk. At the coffee shop she worked in, it was slowly becoming a popular demand for children. She also ordered corn dogs and fries.

They went to an empty table to eat. "Do you know what this is?" She asked as she held the corn dog in front of them. Ayato reached out to it and Emma pulled it out of his reach.

"It's a corn dog." She answered for them.

"Dog?" Shu asked.

" _Corn_ dog. It's not a dog." Emma explained him. "It's just a sausage."

"Everyone gets each one." She told them.

The boys, thankfully, enjoyed the food she had bought for them. Emma slowly ate her food, knowing that they might want to play in the jungle gym again.

Ayato stared at his stick, having already eaten his corn dog.

"Kanato." He called out. His brother turned to look at him. Ayato pointed at the corn dog.

"Kanato, Ayato wants some of your corn dog." Emma said. Kanato looked down at his food and held it out to Ayato.

"Just one bite." Emma told Ayato. Ayato bit on the corn dog. However when Emma had assumed he was taking a bite, Ayato used his teeth to pull the corn dog off the stick.

Emma laughed in disbelief but got up from her chair. "I said one bite." She reminded. Kanato whimpered as Ayato held the corn dog in his hand and was chewing the food in his mouth. Emma went towards Ayato and tried to take the corn dog out of his hand. He pulled away from her, growling.

"That's not fair." Emma scolded but she couldn't help but laugh. "You don't get to eat it now."

She squeezed his cheeks, in hopes that he'll spit it out. He promptly swallowed it and got off his chair.

He backed away and continued to eat the corn dog. Emma could only sigh as she did not want to discipline him in a public area. She ended up giving her own corn dog to Kanato. She sighed at her empty plate while Kanato ate the corn dog. He gave Ayato the side glare.

"Drink?" Ayato asked as he reached out. Emma glanced at his mug which was empty.

"You want this?" She asked. She held her hot chocolate. He nodded his head.

"I'm not going to give this to you." She said.

He made a grabbing motion with his hand and frowned. Emma chuckled at him.

"I won't." She said.

He reached over and grabbed the drink. It was a tug of war where one was pulling with all his might while another was barely holding on as she laughed.

"I also want to drink this." She begged slightly. Ayato finally got the drink and continued to drink it.

"You're a glutton." Emma said.

"Glutton?" Laito asked as he finished his corn dog.

"Ayato is a glutton." Emma repeated. However, the word sounded funny to them and the boys laughed and repeated the word.

When the boys were done eating, they dragged Emma to go back into the jungle gym.

"Slow down. You'll get sick from eating." She told them.

"Emma?"

The blonde froze and the boys stopped to look at her. They looked behind her to see someone and Emma slowly turned to look at a woman. The redhead smiled at her.

"I didn't think you'd be here." The redhead said. She looked pleased to see Emma. Emma was shocked to see her.

"Hello there?"

* * *

 **A/N: I'm basing the design of the jungle gym, mostly from the one that I used to go as a kid. It was so cool. It was the first jungle gym that everyone in my town heard of, so it was always so pack. As a kid, I always asked my parents to bring me there every Sunday. It closed down a few years ago due to health inspection. Don't forgot to favorite, follow and review. As always see you next time!**


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

Emma smiled at the woman while the Sakamaki brothers hid behind her. They peeked curiously towards the woman. She felt a bit nervous. She hoped she hadn't seen the brothers, even though that was too good to be true.

"It's so good to see you." The redhead said as she went to hug Emma. Emma returned to hug. She relaxed a bit. It was nice to see a familiar face even in a strange situation.

"Same to you, Lily." Emma replied. "Are you with the kids?"

Before Lily could answer, shouts of excitement and a bunch of kids ran towards her.

"Aunt Em!"

Two kids rushed towards them. They grinned up at her.

"Hey guys." Emma greeted.

"Why didn't you tell us you were here?" One of the kids asked. They pouted at her. Emma chuckled at them.

"Surprise!" She teased.

Lily was her sister-in-law. She had been dating Mike for a few years when he was in medical school. Once he became a doctor, they got married and had two children, a boy and a girl.

"Mommy, did you ask Aunt Em to come here?" The girl asked. Lily placed a hand over her heart.

"No, I promise I didn't." Lily teased. The girl giggled at her mom.

Lily noticed the boys and leaned down. "Who are these cuties?" She asked.

Emma fidgeted nervously. She looked down at the boys. The triplets were glaring at the family since they were strangers to them. Reiji who wasn't scared, still eyed them warily.

"Hello!" Shu greeted with a smile. Shu was the only one that seemed to thought they were friendly. Lily smiled at him.

Emma slowly introduced the boys to them. Lily looked at each of them.

"Say hi." Emma told the younger boys. They all muttered 'hi' while Reiji gave a shy wave.

"How old are they?" Lily asked.

"Shu is four, Reiji is three and the triplets are two." Emma answered.

"Sounds like trouble." Lily teased. Emma laughed and agreed with her.

"Well, I'm Lily." She introduced. The redhead then gestured to her children.

"This is Finn."

Finn grinned at the boys. He was a redhead like Lily with Mike's brown eyes. He was seven.

"And this is Kylie."

Kylie looked at the boys curiously. She had dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. She was two years younger than her brother.

"Can we play with them?" Fin asked his mom.

"Only if they want to." Lily said.

The two kids turned expectantly to the boys. Emma smiled at them and turned to the boys.

"Do you want to play with them?" Emma asked. She was unsure whether they would want friends or not.

"Yeah!" Shu exclaimed. Emma expected this as he was the more outgoing of the brothers.

The boys finally nodded and my niece and nephew grinned.

"The two of you are older than them, so you have to take good care of them." Lily told them.

"We will!" Kylie assured.

"Go have fun." Emma told the boys. The triplets grinned at her and rushed back into the jungle gym. Shu and Finn followed after them. Kylie offered her hand to Reiji. She held his hand and they went into the jungle gym.

Emma sat down with Lily. Lily turned to look at her.

"So whose kids are they?" She asked. Emma gave the usual lie to her sister-in-law.

"Oh, I've been babysitting them for a friend." Emma explained.

"You're getting paid, right?" Lily asked. Emma raised an eyebrow. Lily chuckled.

"I'm joking." She answered. She then asked the usual questions. How long will Emma be taking care of them and other questions.

"They look adorable." Lily added.

Emma nodded in agreement. "They sure are." She answered. Emma soon frowned as she remembered something.

"Can you tell Mike that I said thank you for the… money?" She asked.

"Of course." She answered.

Emma chuckled. "I got a raise last week. I might be able to pay my bills from now on." She added.

Lily gave a small frown. "Mike is doing this because he wants to." She said.

"Sure but he has his own family. He has to take care of you and the kids." Emma added.

"He's not doing this on his own. I also agreed to help you. You're family, after all." She answered.

Emma sighed as she looked back at the jungle gym. She couldn't see where the boys were as there were tons of children playing.

"Emma, you've been helping me when Mike was studying in medical school." She said.

"You even defended me when those stuck up cousins of yours made fun of me for being a stay at home mom." She said.

Emma smiled as she remembered that. It was during a family dinner. Finn was only a few months. One of the cousins had asked Lily if she was going to hire a nanny. Lily had said she wasn't going to which shocked them.

They had then talked about how Lily was wasting her life away. Emma remembered that she had spoken up as defense. She had said that it was fine how Lily wanted to live. It didn't matter to them. However, her sudden entrance into the conversation made her the new topic of the conversation.

They poked at Emma's unemployment. She had assured them that she was finding work. They had which then remarked that the pay wouldn't be enough compared to the pharmacist job she could have gotten had she kept studying. Emma didn't mind as they had ignored Lily to berate Emma.

"They spent all those money on nannies, that they don't even know their kids' favorite color." Emma joked. She gave a small sigh.

"Well, I'm the black sheep of the family. I can't let you take my title." Emma said as an attempt to make a joke. It didn't amuse Lily in the slightest.

"Don't say that." Lily replied.

"Look what happened to me." Emma said.

"Sure, you're different from the first time I saw you." Lily said. "But you didn't change that much."

"You're just facing through some troubles." Lily said. "So what if you don't meet their expectations? You were the one who told me to just ignore them. Why couldn't you do the same too?"

Emma smiled. It was hard to do so. Lily wasn't born in this family, so she shouldn't need to listen to the cousins. Emma, however to some extent, feels ashamed. She wasn't like her cousins as her parents had raised her and her brother to have manners and respect others. However, they still have the same competitive side everyone in the family had. Always trying to improve as they grow older. Whether it's simple tasks or school grades, the progress of children is always talked about during family events. There was a difference though. Emma's mother would always talk about her and Mike with pride as she was happy no matter what they did. Her aunts would brag about their children's accomplishments and would go in a discussion of 'My child is better than yours'. The same can be said when Emma's father converse with the uncles. Her father was never one to talk a lot, only saying things like 'Emma really enjoys baking' or 'Michael wants to be a doctor when he's older'. The uncles would talk about how they're grooming their sons to take over their business in the future.

This caused the children to try to improve themselves. While the cousins slowly grew as entitled as their parents, Emma and Michael studied hard to help their parents in the future.

That was what made Emma upset. Letting her parents down was what hurt her the most. The insults that were given by her cousins were just rubbing salt in the wound.

"Maybe, you're right." Emma answered, even though she still felt a bit depressed.

Lily placed a hand on her shoulder. "As long as you're doing well, it doesn't matter what they say. Remember, we're here for you." She reminded.

Emma chucked. "We're talking about a serious topic in a kids café. We should change the subject. How are the kids doing at school?" She asked.

"They actually enjoyed it which is weird since I hated school as a kid." Lily said. "They can't wait for school to open this year."

"How do you enroll children in school?" Emma asked. "Shu is old enough to go to school but I don't know how the process works."

Lily raises an eyebrow. "Your friend asked you to take care of his kids while he goes on an 'important' business trip. _And_ he also expects you to enroll his own son to kindergarten?" She asked.

Emma shrugged. "He's paying for it." She answered. Or at least she hoped he would.

Lily sighed but explained to her how it works. As they spoke for half an hour, the kids finally joined them.

"Did you have fun?" Emma asked as the boys came running towards her. The triplets went to her for a hug as they yawned.

"Yup!" Ayato exclaimed. Shu was talking with Finn and Kylie while Reiji rubbed his eyes. Emma checked her watch.

"We should leave." She stood up to take the bags. Lily stood up as well.

"It's nice to see you three again. Tell Mike I said hello." Emma said.

"Of course I will." Lily replied. "Maybe we should do this again next time?"

Emma grinned. "Sounds great." She answered. She waved good bye at her niece and nephew and she left with the boys.

It was nice to chat with her sister in law. For now though, she had to get these boys home for a nap.

* * *

 **A/N: Don't forget to favorite, follow and review! As always see you next time!**


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

"Paul!"

He grinned as Shu rushed towards him for a hug.

Emma and the four other boys joined them.

"Right on time." She said.

"Of course." He replied.

Whenever she had her day offs, she would go out with the boys. She would sometimes invite Paul along with them so he would be able to help her whenever one of the boys strays away from the group.

The boys' eyes brightened up when they saw a bouncy house in the middle of the mall. They tugged at Emma's arm in response.

"Can we go on it?" Shu asked.

"Please?" the triplets had repeated. Emma chuckled at them.

"Of course you can." She said. She then paid for the entry, which was only an hour for them to play in the bouncy house.

Emma helped the triplets take off their shoes while Shu and Reiji took off their own shoes. Paul sat down at a nearby bench as he held Emma's bags which held the toddler's necessities.

The boys rushed towards the bouncy house with glee. Emma smiled as the boys jumped. The triplets were getting better at jumping. The bouncy house was crowded with children but the boys were able to avoid bumping into children. They laughed and Emma took out her phone to take pictures of them. She looked and smiled at the pictures she had taken. Some were blurry since the boys were moving but she still managed to catch their adorable smiles. She tried to take more pictures of them.

"You're really embracing parenthood." Paul said. He caught her off guard with that comment.

Emma glanced at him, confused at his statement. He then gestured somewhere and she followed the direction. She saw mothers taking pictures of their children. Some called out their children's names to catch the kid's attention. Emma cleared her throat and put her phone back into her bag, a bit flustered.

"I've taken pictures of my nieces and nephews before." She stated, as a matter of fact. "I don't see the problem with that."

"All right then." He replied. He turned back to look at the boys.

She watched the boys while once in a while scrolling through her phone on her social media. She called for the boys when they only had five minutes left until their time ends.

"It's time to go." She told them. The triplets whined as they still hadn't had enough fun.

"Again!" Ayato exclaimed. Emma sighed before trying to explain to him that they need to go eat. It only made the triplets whine harder in response

Emma paused when she heard the announcement.

"Will Emma Williams please come to the information desk?"

Emma frowned. What was happening? She got a bit nervous. Was her car blocking something? Or did the kids do something without her knowing about it.

"What's that?" Reiji asked, confused.

"Not sure." Emma replied. "Come on, let's go."

The triplets whined as they continued to demand to jump in the bouncy house. Emma knew they wouldn't move from their spot until they got what they wanted. They wanted to play in the bouncy house badly and were upset Emma wouldn't allow them. Emma sighed before turning to look at Paul.

"Can you take care of them for a while?" She asked. He nodded while Shu and Reiji wanted to come with her. She took out enough money for just half an hour and gave it to Paul. They followed Emma as they went to the information desks.

She went towards the employee at the desk who had her back turned.

"Excuse me?" Emma asked. The employee jumped and quickly turned around.

"Hello, how can I help you?" She asked.

"I'm Emma Williams. Is there a problem?" She asked the person.

Shu tugged at Emma's arm and she winced.

"Not now, Shu." She scolded.

"Actually…" The employee trailed off.

"Subaru!" Shu exclaimed. Emma turned to see the blonde dashing around the desk and towards a little boy.

"Oh…" Emma could only mutter. She looked at the sudden arrival of the youngest Sakamaki.

"Is this your son, ma'am?" The employee asked. She gestured at the one year old that was playing with her stationary.

"A man dropped him off saying that he was by himself. " The employee then explained.

"Are you his guardian?" She asked.

Emma nodded. "Yes, I am." She answered.

She said thank you to the employee and then quickly walked towards the boys. He was small and didn't react as Shu wrapped him into an enormous hug. Reiji knelt down beside them. In his disguise, Subaru had light blonde hair and brown eyes. He looked up at Emma in confusion. She knelt down and gave a friendly smile to the boy. She hoped he wasn't too shy or scared because of this strange situation.

"Hello, you're Subaru, right?" She asked quietly so that the employee couldn't hear.

Subaru gave a small nod before looking down to draw scribbles on paper with a pencil. Emma looked to see a letter in his hand.

"Is that for me?" She asked. She pointed at the letter and he looked at it. He held it out to her and she took it. She opened the letter and read it.

 _The youngest of my sons. Please take good care of all six of them. Here is also the money you'll need to send Shu to school._

Emma smiled at Subaru and pats his head. She took a deep breath and planned to act like a relieved mother who had finally found her lost son.

"Thank you so much." She said to the employee with a small gasp. "I took my eyes off him for a second and he was just gone. I was so worried. I couldn't find him anywhere."

"It wasn't a problem, ma'am." The employee insisted with a professional smile. Thankfully, she didn't notice the sudden change in behavior from Emma.

Emma repeated a few more words of gratitude and left. As she held Subaru, the two boys stayed close to her. She could hear Shu talking to Subaru with excitement.

"The house is this big!" Shu exclaimed as he held out his arms to demonstrate how big the house was.

"So we can run wherever we want!" He added.

"Not all the time." Emma corrected.

She paused with an amused smile when they arrived at the bouncy house. Paul was sitting in the bouncy house as the triplets jumped around him.

"Are you three having fun?" Emma asked to announce her arrival. The triplets noticed Subaru and immediately grinned.

"Subaru!" Kanato cheered as he jumped down from the bouncy house. The triplets ran up to her to greet their youngest sibling.

Paul blinked at the sight of the new addition as he got out of the bouncy house and joined them.

"Where do you keep getting kids?" He asked.

"Their dad dropped him off just now." Emma said casually. Paul raised an eyebrow but didn't say another word about the sudden addition to the group.

"Subaru is here!" Laito cheered as the triplets crowded her. Subaru looked around at the familiar faces. Shu took Subaru's hand and played with him. Emma smiled and watched. Despite the attention, Subaru had remained calm during the conversation

After a while,Subaru cried and Emma knew that he was hungry.

"I think we should leave now." Emma said to the boys. "We have to eat remember?"

The boys' stomachs growled in response to her reminder.

"Let's go eat." She said with a smile.

Paul helped pick up the bags while they left to find a restaurant. She and Reiji said goodbye to the kids that they had played with on the bouncy house as they all left.

"I'm hungry for some dim sum." She said. "There might be porridge for Subaru." She answered.

Paul nodded. "There's a Chinese restaurant upstairs. I eat there a lot with my family." He replied.

* * *

 **A/N: How's it going, guys? Here's some news I need to tell you. This month I'll be busy so there will be a small hiatus. I already planned out the next few chapters but the next update will be around 7th June. I'm sorry for the sudden hiatus but this month will be a bit hectic and I won't be able to concentrate on trying to write good chapters for you all. I hope you all understand. Don't forget to favorite, follow and review. As always see you next time!**


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"Table for eight." Paul told the waiter who guided them to a large empty table.

The waiter had pulled up a baby chair for Emma to put Subaru in.

"Can we order now?" She asked the waiter after she was sure the boys were comfortable. Paul looked at her in surprise while he took a menu.

"You barely read the menu." Paul said.

"I know what I want already." She replied. She ordered fried rice for herself and rice porridge for the young boys while Paul had ordered duck after looking through the menu. They ordered the same drinks for everyone.

Paul looked at Subaru and gave a small smile when the boy looked at him.

"What's your name?" He asked. Subaru only looked at him confused.

"Subaru!" Shu had answered.

Paul smiled at the boys. "So this is all of them, huh?" He asked.

"Yes." Emma had answered. She turned to look at the boys. The sight overwhelmed her. Shu looked around at the decorations while Reiji was reading a book that she had bought. The triplets were playing with their cutleries and napkins. She took the cutleries away from Subaru's reach who had tried to do the same.

"What am I going to do?" She muttered underneath her breath.

While they had waited for their food, Emma made sure the boys didn't make a fuss at the restaurant. She stopped Shu from standing on his chair and made sure the triplets got along.

Subaru was starting to get fussy as he struggled in his seat. She adjusted the baby chair for him and turned to see Shu wasn't in his seat.

"Where's Shu?" She asked. Paul looked from Reiji and finally noticed the blonde's disappearance.

She looked around and finally found Shu was talking to a family at another table. She got out of her seat and went to see that the family was gushing over him.

"How old are you?" The mother asked.

"Four." He answered and held out four fingers.

"I'm so sorry if he's disturbing you." Emma apologized. "He likes to talk to people."

"It's alright." The mother assured.

The daughter held out a gummy worm. Shu took it instantly.

"Say thank you." Emma told him. Shu repeated the word.

"How old are you?" She asked. The girl seemed smaller than Shu.

"Three." She answered. She held out three fingers like Shu had done.

"She's the same age as Reiji." Emma told Shu.

"He's a boy." The mother corrected with a smile. Emma blushed at her mistake.

"I'm so sorry. He's just so pretty." She answered.

Emma spoke to the nice family for a while before they went back to the table.

"Wow…" Shu gasped when the food arrived.

The table was filled with food. Paul quickly dug into his food while Emma made sure the boys ate well. She fed Subaru his porridge and only drank her soda.

"Eat slowly. It's still hot." Emma told them. The triplets blew at their spoons to cool the porridge down.

"Hot…" Reiji muttered as he accidently ate the porridge without cooling it down.

"I'll help." Shu volunteered. He helped cool down the porridge for Reiji to eat.

They calmly ate their meal. While Subaru was still chewing, Emma ate a few spoonful of her fried rice. Paul looked up from his food.

"Is it good?" Paul asked.

She nodded. "It's good." She answered. He grinned.

"See? Best restaurant." He replied. She rolled her eyes at him.

Subaru fussed when she stopped giving him food. She continued feeding him.

"Subaru eats a lot." Shu said as he watched his little brother.

"Did you finish your food?" Emma asked him. Shu held out his bowl to show it was empty.

"Good job." She said. Shu leaned over.

"I want to feed him." He said.

"Slowly, alright?" She said.

Shu nodded and went to get the spoon from her. She watched to make sure he was feeding Subaru properly before she could eat as well.

After a while, each plate was clean.

"Everyone done?" Emma asked as she drank the last drop of her drink.

"Yup!" Ayato said. Subaru was sucking on his spoon.

"I'll get the bill." Paul said.

"Do you really want to pay for all this? It's really expensive." She warned.

"It's alright." He answered. The bill came and the smile dropped from his face when he saw the numbers.

"We can split–"

"I can still pay for it." He assured.

"Alright then." Emma replied with a smile. Paul paid for the bills and they all left the restaurant.

"The triplets are starting to get used to sleeping by themselves." Emma told Paul.

"So they have been using the beds." He replied. She nodded.

"That's great. I worked hard to put those together." He answered.

"Where should we go next?" Emma asked the boys. The boys yelled out their different answers.

She paused as a smell entered her nostrils. She felt dread as she looked at Subaru who stared at her innocently.

"Paul, can you wait with the boys for a while?" She asked. He turned to look at her confused. He recoiled in disgust when he was soon able to smell the odor.

She took one of the bags Paul had carried and after telling the other boys to stay put with him, she rushed to the bathroom with Subaru. She looked up to find the sign before going into the changing station.

She spent a whole fifteen minute in the station trying to do her best to change his diapers despite her inexperience.

"You all right in there?" Paul asked after knocking the door. Emma didn't know where to put her hands as she was worried of touching something nasty or making the station even more dirty.

"Paul… there's an extra shirt in the other bag." She said after taking off Subaru's outfit.

She tried her best to clean everything up and put Subaru in fresh clothes.

"Can we leave now?" She asked when she got out of the station. Her face was flushed red while she held a happy Subaru who was wearing Shu's extra shirt.

The smell was still in the station and Emma couldn't help but feel bad for the next mother who would be planning to use it.

Subaru's dirty clothes were in a plastic bag where she had shoved it back into the duffel bag.

"Yes." Paul quickly agreed.

They quickly left and went back home.

* * *

"I know you're tired." Emma muttered as she held Subaru. He cried in her arms. His fingers cling onto her sleeves as he bawled.

While Shu, Reiji and the triplets slept in the other room, Emma had to help Subaru fall asleep. The boy was crying and wouldn't stop. She was worried the other boys might wake up from the noise and she'll have to put them back to sleep again. The triplets would cry when their sleep was interrupted and she didn't want to handle four crying toddlers.

"You're going to wake up your brothers." She warned him. She gave a loud yawn afterwards. There were dark bags under her eyes from being sleep deprived. She glanced at the clock once more to see it was almost midnight.

"I'm tired and you're tired." She spoke softly. "We should all get some sleep."

As she bounced him gently, slowly his cries turned into whimpers. As she felt his head drop on her shoulder, she gave a gentle smile and helped him get in bed.

She sighed in relief as all six children were asleep. She watched Subaru carefully. Just like the other boys, he also went through such a horrible life. Each of them went through their own abuse.

She lied down beside the toddler. He looked like an angel asleep. It was different from the frown that was usually on the teenage boy's face. Instead now, the young boy slept with a small smile. She chuckled quietly

"You might not remember this but…" She trailed off.

She gave a small smile at the young boy. The boy stirred in his sleep but didn't wake.

"I'll make sure you'll have a proper childhood while I'm around. You and your big brothers." She promised.

As she lied down, she didn't want to use her laptop or watch any anime. She was too tired that she drifted to sleep after making her promise to the young brothers.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm back! It's 7th June where I'm from, so depending on your timezone, I'm either on time, early or late. Finally the whole Sakamaki brothers are together. Don't forget to favorite, follow and review! As always, see you next time!**


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Emma waited in the room. They were at the hospital. She had been planning to come here for a while since she was going to enroll Shu and Reiji to school. Since she was technically not a real mother, she wanted to see how to bond with the children. She also wanted to know if she was parenting them properly which is why she was planning to see a behavior test for the six boys.

The boys were calmly playing in the waiting room after Emma had done some paperwork. She had voiced about this to Paul a few days ago and when she was wondering how to get any documents of the boys, it was mailed to her the next day. Birth certificates and other identification papers. She knew that someone was observing her and it still feels strange. Karlheinz was watching her every move and she worries that she might make a mistake to anger him.

"Emma Williams?"

She looked to see an older woman who she assumed was the therapist. She quickly stood up.

"Yes." Emma answered. They introduced each other.

"We'll be observing how you play with the kids." The therapist said.

She nodded a bit quickly, causing the therapist to smile.

"Don't worry, just play with them like you normally do."

She nodded once more but a bit relaxed. She and the boys were guided to a playroom. The boys looked at the room in awe before rushing to play with the toys.

Emma took a deep breath and decided to be her normal self.

She had to divide her attention to each of the boys as they played.

With Subaru on her lap, she calmly communicated with the boys. The therapist stood and silently observed. Luckily, the boys still continued to play and ignored her.

"Rhino." Shu said as he pulled the toy animal from the shelf.

Emma smiled at him. "Do you know which his friends are?" She asked. She had taught him this before when they read a children book.

He began pulling out any animals that he thought were friends with the rhino. He was grouping the safari animals together.

"Cat." Shu said as he put the feline between the rhino and zebra.

"No." Reiji suddenly interrupted. He took the cat away.

Shu looked at his little brother confused before trying to reach for the cat.

"You're wrong." Reiji said as he took the cat away from Shu.

"Why?" Shu asked. He turned to look at Emma.

"A cat isn't friends with a rhino." She told him. Shu gave a small frown at her answer.

Shu turned to look at the other animals. "What's this?" He asked as he held out an animal.

"That's a gazelle." She answered. He repeated the word and put it next to the lion.

"Don't put it next to the lion." She told him.

"Why?" Shu asked.

"The lion will eat the gazelle." She answered. Shu looked at the lion before putting the gazelle beside the zebra.

Subaru struggled before he got of her lap to play with the building blocks.

Emma moved closer to watch him play. His hand reached towards the toy castle. His fingers fiddled with the door. Emma realized he was having trouble and helped him open the castle door. He played with the princess and the knights for a while before turning his attention elsewhere.

Emma noticed the triplets were starting to fight amongst themselves. She stopped them.

"Stop fighting." She scolded them.

"I want it!" Ayato shouted as he reached for the toy in Laito's hand. Emma caught his hand.

"No grabbing." She added.

"Who had it first?" She asked gently.

"Me!" Laito answered.

"No! Me!" Kanato retorted.

"But Laito has it." Emma told him.

"He grab it!" Kanato accused.

"No!" Laito said.

"Give it!" Ayato shouted. They began hitting one another.

"Since you three keep fighting, you can't have this." She stated as she took the toy from Laito. The triplets whined and cried but Emma stayed with her decision until they calmed down.

"It's time for the one on one tests." The therapist said. Emma looked up at the older woman.

"Already?" Emma asked. She nodded.

Emma turned to look at Shu who curiously looked at the therapist.

"It's okay, just follow her." Emma assured.

Shu nodded and held the nurse's hand and left the room. Fifteen minutes passed and it was Reiji's turn. Reiji was a bit confused but followed the nurse. Shu came into the room and continued playing.

Every fifteen minute, it was the next boys turn to do the behavior test. Once that was over, the therapist went to talk to Emma privately.

"In terms of development…" She said as she looked through her documents.

"They're growing well." The therapist assured. Emma gave a small smile.

"With Shu, he's very friendly and talkative." She explained. "It's good that whenever he asks questions, you would answer them. You are a bit pessimistic though. When you told him that the lion would eat the gazelle, it made him lose interest in the toys."

Emma gave an embarrassed chuckle.

"His linguistic skills are really good for his age. It would be best if you asks questions instead of answering directly first. For example when he had put the cat with the rhino, you would ask him 'Why do you thing the cat is friends with the rhino?'" She explained.

Emma nodded as she listened to the therapist, making sure to remember her advices.

"Reiji's thinking skills are better than his age group. When Shu was playing with the animals, he was arranging the animals in groups of mammals, reptiles and others. Yet when the other boys were rushing around playing, Reiji stayed close to you. He's dependent on you and very timid. It would be best to help him be more independent."

"The triplets are a different case. At their age, they are learning right or wrongs which is why sometimes they talk back."

"Ayato from how he plays and interact with his brothers, he's more of a leader. He doesn't like people telling him what to do. Laito also seems to talk back however he still listens. Kanato is a bit timid compared to them."

"Each of the triplets is fussy but it's normal for their age."

"Since Subaru is the youngest, you sort of helicopter around him." The therapist stated. "Whenever he goes somewhere, you follow him. His linguistic skills aren't developing properly because you already know what he wants before he asks. When he wants a toy, you take it for him. When he can't open something, you open it for him."

"It's best if you ask him what he wants to do and let him tell you. Otherwise it might affect his self esteem."

She explained for a few more minutes before it was time for them to leave. Emma nodded and thank the therapist before they left.

"Who wants ice cream?" She said to the boys when they arrived at the lobby.

"Me!" Ayato said. The triplets playfully shoved each other and ran to the entrance.

"Don't run!" Emma called out.

Ayato ran faster and he turned back to smile only to be knocked over when he bumped into someone. Ayato cried from the sudden impact.

"Are you alright?" The man asked and helped Ayato stand up. Without saying a thank you, the redhead rushed back towards Emma.

Emma stared at the man. From his attire, he was a doctor.

"Mike?" She called out in surprise.

He noticed her sister and grin. However, his eyes looked at Subaru and trailed down to the other boys in confusion.

Emma's surprise soon turned into panic as her brother looked back at her expecting an explanation.

* * *

 **A/N: The appearance of Emma's brother is finally here! Don't forget to favorite, follow and review! As always see you next time!**


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

They were at the hospital cafeteria and Mike has not said a single word to her. The cafeteria was filled with visitors, patients and staffs. They were all conversing with each other so friendly while Emma sat in a tense atmosphere. She quickly told to boys to introduce themselves to her brother. Emma fidgeted while the young boys introduced themselves to Mike. Each of their introductions portrayed their personality. Shu had cheerfully introduced him while Reiji's introduction exudes politeness and manners. The triplets said their names curtly while Subaru was silent that Emma had to introduce him.

If people saw Emma and Mike, it was easy to see that they were siblings. His slicked back hair was blonde, which was a darker shade than Emma's. He even wore glasses sometimes, as he was shortsighted yet you can clearly see his brown eyes. Yet their behaviors were different. Emma due to being socially awkward always seemed silent and cold while Mike was typically friendly and sometimes serious. He looked at the boys carefully. The boys were blissfully unaware of his watch. He finally looked back at Emma whose heart raced.

"So whose kids are they?" He asked. He was straight to the point.

"A friend of mine." She answered. She of course had to quickly explain her fake reason behind taking care of six kids. She had to deliver the explanation properly. Others might believe her lie but this was her brother – person who has been there since she was born. He knew whether she was lying or not just from her actions or the look in her eyes. She was right, as no sooner had she finished talking, he was quick to cause her lie to crumble. He looked at her closely as if he could see right through her.

"Which friend?" He asked, slowly. She hesitated as she quickly glanced at the young boys who curiously looked up at her. She hadn't thought about that. Well of course she hadn't as no one would ask that unless they were really close to her. It was a small crack in her plan and he easily found it. Her brother scrutinized her and she hoped he hadn't noticed her mistake. She tried to remember any information about Karlheinz. She wasn't going to lie or tell the truth. All Emma had to do was tell her brother a few vague things about the man and hope that he would take the bait.

"He's from Japan." She answered. "He was an international student. We spoke to each other a couple of times. He used to go to the university I went to. He's my senior a few years older. He had a major in business."

He nodded slightly and she had to refrain from sighing in relief. However it was far from over.

"You said he was on a business trip. What's his profession?" He asked.

"He's a businessman. He works for a company that manufactures medicine." Emma answered as cool as possible.

He contemplated on her answer but again said nothing.

"What about their mother?" He asked. She paused as she thought of that. If facts won't work, she'll have to try emotional guilt trip. She just hope her acting skills are good enough. She let out a sigh and made sure to make herself sound sympathetic. She glanced at the boys pitifully.

"Well, actually…" She leaned in closer, pretending to be mindful of the boys. "They have different mothers."

Mike's eyes instantly widened. He cleared his throat. "Oh…" He trailed off.

She nodded somberly. "My friend is trying to be a good father but his exes' aren't making it easy for him." She explained.

"I'm not sure about the details but he doesn't want the boys to stay with their mothers. He doesn't have any family other than his brother but they cut ties with each other long time ago." She added.

He hesitated a bit. "Then if it's like that… no wonder he left them with you." Mike answered, a bit guilty.

She bit her lower lip to stop herself from laughing.

"But… are you sure you can take care of them by yourself?" He asked. "It's not easy taking care of kids."

Emma nodded. "I've been a babysitter before." She explained.

He shook his head. "That's different. Babysitting is only for a few hours. You're taking care of them twenty-four seven." He pointed out.

He sighed as he looked at the boys who were playing together.

"With all my shifts, it's hard for me to help Lily with the two kids. You're on your own with six kids." He added.

"I had help." Emma assured.

"Who?" He asked.

"My coworker, Paul has been helping me. He also helped me find a 'babysitter'. Her name's Rose and she's been helping me with the kids while I'm at work."

"What about the bills?" He asked.

She kept silent and drank her coffee. He chuckled at her.

"You barely manage to pay the bills in time. Now, you have to buy groceries, diapers and such. You went shopping with them before, right? Hell ensues when they see a toy they want." He said.

"That's why I've been asking for more shifts from my boss. He actually likes that I'm working more hours." She added.

Mike sighed as he slouched in his chair. "Just ask me how much and I'll give you the money." He offered.

"No, don't do that." Emma answered, quickly.

Mike gestured at the boys. "Look at those boys. More of a reason for me to give you money." He answered.

"I'm still trying to pay back the money you gave me last year." Emma replied.

"You think you have it rough? I'm still paying off my loan for medical school." He retorted.

Emma chuckled. "People say doctors are rich but look at how broke you are." She teased.

"But seriously, if you have a problem, I'll send you the money. Don't try to say no." He said.

She rolled her eyes at her brother.

"Doctor, who are you?" Shu asked.

"I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Michael." Mike said.

Emma turned to look at Shu. "He's my big brother and Finn and Kylie's dad." She explained.

His eyes brightened as he recognized those names. "We played with them before." He said.

"Really?" Mike asked. "I hope they were nice to you."

He checked his watch. "My break is almost over." He said as he stood up. Emma stood up as well.

"I guess I'll have to cut this meeting short but it was nice seeing you again." He said.

"You too." Emma replied. She hugged her brother and as they pulled away, he ruffled her hair.

"Doctor has to go work but it was nice meeting you all." He said.

"Bye, doctor!" Shu said.

"Goodbye." Reiji said. The triplets waved at him and Michael reached his hand out to let Subaru high five him. He was about to leave but stopped for a while.

"I forgot to mention." Mike said as he turned to look at her. "I was going to call to tell you about this but it's lucky that you're here."

"Why?" She asked. He hesitated as he watches her carefully.

"Well, hurry up. Your break will be over." She stated. He sighed at her.

"We're having a family gathering next week." He explained.

She forgot about that. They usually had a family gathering every month but last month more than half of the relatives couldn't come so it was cancelled.

"So they're all coming to my house." She muttered, a bit worried.

Before, she was usually alright with family gatherings. However, ever since she started living in her current house, which was the location for every gathering, she dreaded it. Having to prepare food for her ungrateful relatives and then having to endure them talking down on her in her own home.

"Do you need help for the preparations?" He asked. She shook her head and dismissed him.

"No it's fine." She assured. He raised an eyebrow at her as he knew her too well. He knew this was a problem. After all, they did grow up experiencing the entitlement of their cousins.

"Just ask for help. I'm fine with that." He answered. He looked at the boys. "You might have to ask your friends to babysit them during that time."

She nodded. "Don't worry, I will." She answered. After all, who knows what her cousins might say about the boys.

She waved him off and she told the boys it was time to leave.

* * *

 **A/N: Don't forget to favorite, follow and review. As always see you next time!**


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Emma was worried about the family dinner but she had decided to put her thoughts aside as it was only weeks away. Right now, she should focus on the boys. She was somewhat tight on money. She hated to admit but Mike was right. Maybe she'll just have to put away her pride and ask for help. Right now, while the boys were eating breakfast, she spoke to someone on the phone.

"I'm sorry, Emma."

The person felt guilty but Emma reassured them. Rose had called her saying that she won't be able to take care of the boys because of family problems. Emma held Subaru as she spoke on the phone. With her other hand, she helped Subaru drink his milk.

"It's fine, Rose." She assured. "It's family business, after all."

"I let them follow their dad to work and this happens." She worries as Emma could hear shuffling as the brunette tried to find her keys.

"How is he?" She asked. Rose's son had strayed too far from his dad and had eaten something which caused him to get food poisoning. She knew that Rose was beyond concerned.

"I hope he gets better." Emma said with sympathy.

"I hope so too." Rose lets out a frustrated sigh. "He should've kept a close eye on our kids. Now look what's happened."

Emma tried not to chuckle in amusement. "Anyways, I was looking through some daycares so you won't have to worry." She answered.

"Thank you, Emma. I'll promise to make it up to you." Rose said.

Emma nodded despite Rose not being able to see. "Maybe we can have a play date with your kids as well." She suggested. Rose laughed with excitement.

"That sounds great!" Rose replied. "I have to go now."

"Alright. Bye." She said. She held out the phone to the boys. "Say goodbye to Rose!"

The boys yelled bye and with a goodbye from Rose, the call ended. Shu was the first to finish his cereal.

"Emma, are we going to Rose's house?" Shu asked.

Emma wiped Shu's face. She then put Subaru in his baby chair.

"Not today." She answered. She went to prepare snacks for them later.

"Then where?" Reiji asked, curiously.

"We're going to a daycare." She said. She placed the snacks on the table before going through the cupboards to find her Tupperware. She hoped that they would be fine without her for a while. She had brought them out multiple times and not once have they attacked a person. Perhaps their powers don't awaken at their age.

"Day?" Ayato asked in confusion.

"Care?" Laito continued.

Kanato was unaware of the conversation and held out a chocolate he got from the pile of snacks she left.

"Open!" He said. Emma took of the wrapper and Kanato ate it. She then cut some fruits after deciding that letting them have sweets as snacks wasn't a good idea.

"That's where you'll be going for today." Emma explained. "I'm busy today so you'll have to stay there for a while."

"We want to come with you!" Shu whined. Emma smiled and stroked his blonde hair.

"I know but it won't be fun if you come with me. You'll be able to make friends at the Daycare." She persuaded.

His face lit up as he thought of making new friends at 'daycare'.

"Okay!" He cheered. Reiji looked upset while the triplets didn't understand what was going on. Emma gave Subaru a small slice of apple.

"First, let's get you ready for daycare." She said as she was done preparing snacks.

She guided them to the bathroom and this time it wasn't as chaotic as before. The boys played in the bath and she dried them once they were done. She dressed them up and they were ready to leave.

"Come on." She said as she opened the door. "Watch your step." She said.

She helped the boys who were at the door get into the car. It was larger than her usual, as Paul had lent it while he kept her car. Thus she was able to fit the six boys and herself in it. She helped them with their seat belts and counted them. She stopped after five and saw an empty seat.

She turned and went back into the house.

"Reiji?" She called out. She looked to see he was having trouble with his shoes. She looked at him, befuddled. Not once has she seen him have trouble with his shoes.

"Reiji, we're leaving." She said.

"Wait." He replied. She went to help him.

"Your shoes are done. Let's go into the car." She said with a smile.

"No." He shook his head.

"Why?" She asked, calmly.

"My book." He answered.

"There's lots of books at the daycare and if you bring it, you'll lose it." She explained. He shook his head. She sighed and realized what he's doing.

"Reiji…" She said which made him look at his feet. "Do you not want to go to daycare?"

He nodded his head.

"Then do you want to stay at home?" She asked once more.

This time, he shook his head. She leaned down to make eye contact with him.

"Do you want to come to work with me?" She asked. He smiled happily and nodded.

She smiled back. "I'm sorry but we can't do that today. Maybe next time when Rose is free, she can take you there. Today, we have to go to the daycare." She explained.

He nodded sullenly. Finally, she carried him out the door. As she closed the door, she felt him sob into her shoulder. Her heart ached at his actions. For a moment, she thought she was hurting him. She reminded herself to be strong and hoped that if he sees the daycare he might like it. She helped him in his seat and after she checked for the second time if everyone's all right, she drove to the daycare.

It was only fifteen minutes away. She looked at the small building. The outside had a pastel exterior with the sign in large letters. They entered the daycare. It was bright and colorful.

"Hello." Emma greeted an employee. The employee smiled and tightened her apron.

"Good morning. How can I help you?" She asked.

"We spoke before on the phone. Emma Williams?" Emma said. The employee recognized the name.

"Oh, of course. How many children do you have?" She asked.

Emma didn't bother to correct her but told her she had six boys with her.

"I can pick them up at four." Emma said as the boys put their bags in the cubbies. "I gave them snacks as well."

She then listed things about the boys like their ages, their personality, likes and dislikes. The employee listened intently.

Emma turned to see Shu running towards a group of children. Reiji stood a bit awkwardly. Shu turned and noticed Reiji before pulling him along to join him. The triplets had run straight for the toys. Emma held Subaru who was slowly waking up from his nap. He was still groggy and she knew by the time she's gone, he'll be fully awake and throwing a crying fit at her disappearance. The employee offered to hold him and Emma let her. Subaru blissfully unaware of the exchange nuzzled closer to the employee. Emma turned to look for Laito. Out of the triplet, Laito was the one who almost always listens to her. He was also sort of a snitch and would tell her when Ayato would do something

She knelt down to look at Laito.

"Laito, you're the oldest of the triplets." She started, as she made sure he looked at him. He looked up at her from his toys.

"Take care of your brothers, alright? Don't fight with them but also stop them from fighting, okay?" She asked. He nodded, making her smile.

"You can do that right?" She asked once more.

"Yes." He answered. She smiled before she hesitantly hugged him.

She spoke to each of the boys and made sure that they were fine with her leaving.

"See you later, okay?" She asked. She waved at Subaru who had woken up only to go back to sleep.

"Say bye-bye to mummy!" The employee told them with a cheerful smile. Emma froze at the idea of being called 'mummy'.

Emma glanced at the employee before looking at the boys. She had thought they would be confused at the term since they had always called her by her first name.

However, as if knowing whom the employee was talking about, the boys cheerfully waved at her. She stared at them in shock. At that moment, she didn't want to leave. She felt proud that they at least think she's close to a mother. Reminding herself that she'll be late, she waved once more excitedly at them. She left the daycare but she couldn't stop the smile on her face.

* * *

 **A/N: They're slowly getting closer as time goes by. Don't forget to favorite, follow and review. As always see you next time!**


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

Emma didn't know what was different. As she worked, she felt more relax. The customers were reacting more positively to her. Saying thank you when they receive their order. Even when there were a few rude customers, Emma didn't seem to mind their behavior at all. As she made the beverages, she was quicker than usual. She wasn't sloppy and she didn't feel tired. It was as if there was more color in the world.

She had been working for both the morning and afternoon shift. She felt energized. Once her shift has ended, she took off her apron and stretched her muscles.

"I feel good today." She suddenly said when Paul walked by. Paul stopped and backtracked to look at her. He stared at her face for a while.

"Did you say something to me?" He asked. She could hear surprise in his voice. She nodded.

"Yes, I did." She answered, a bit unsure. He scratched the back of his head as he looked at her with confusion and wonder.

"Usually I'm the one that starts conversations." He stated. He squinted his eyes at her. "And what's with that smile on your face? You've been smiling more than usual."

She quickly frowned at him. "You say it as if it's a bad thing." She commented as she went to get her bag.

"I'm just saying. What made you so happy?" He questioned.

She shrugged. "I don't know." She replied before saying goodbye to her boss.

She paused and turned to Paul.

"The boys called me 'Mummy'." She stated. He stared at her as if he didn't understand what's so special about it. She then decided to explain more clearly.

"Well, they didn't actually call me that. It's just the employee at the daycare called me their mummy and they sort of acknowledged it." She explained.

Paul chuckled. "So that's what's making you act different. You're bonding with the boys." He said as he opened the door for her. She walked through and waited for him.

"It's a good thing, right?" She asked, suddenly concerned. "I mean I'm happy that they're getting closer with me but I don't want them to get too attached."

Paul shrugged as he unlocked his car. "Well, I know one thing." He said.

She turned to look at him, eager to know his answer.

"Those kids are good for you." He stated. He then said goodbye before driving off.

Emma thought about his answer before smiling. She got in the car and was on her way to the daycare. She agreed. Maybe her time with the boys were improving her. She's been going out more often than usual. Even though she was tight on budget, she had learned to spend more wisely. Especially when she found a brand of milk that was two dollars cheaper then what she had usually bought. She surprisingly made friends. She had begun talking to Paul more and he was no longer just a person she had worked with. Rose was also someone she was comfortable talking to.

He was right, they were good for her. She just hoped she was good for them. Will they remember her once they went home? She was sure they wouldn't. After all they were still toddlers and might not even remember her name. Why did she feel sad about that? Also what was Karlheinz planning? Was this a part of his plans? What is her role in it exactly?

She sighed and decided not to think about that yet. No need to get ready for goodbyes yet. She arrived to the daycare and walked in. She quickly went to the familiar employee. She made sure not to bump into any toddlers that were running around.

"How are they? Did they cause any trouble?" She asked with concerned. She wanted to know if they had trouble socializing with the other children.

The employee smiled. "They were well behaved. However, the triplets did get into a scuffle." She explained.

Emma widened her eyes. "What did they do?" She asked.

"Just a little argument with one of the boys." The employee assured. Emma nodded in relief. She took out her wallet and paid for the fees.

She went to find the boys. Subaru held up his arms and she instinctively picked him up.

"What happened?" She asked as she looked at the triplets. She turned to Laito specifically.

"Ayato pushed a boy." Laito answered. Ayato looked at the ground.

"Really?" She asked. Ayato nodded.

"Who did you push?" She asked. Ayato pointed and she turned to look. A young toddler the same age as the triplets was being comforted by who Emma assumed was the mother. Emma stood up as she decided to apologize for Ayato's behavior.

The mother turned to look at Emma and she instantly knew what her personality was. It was the same arrogant look all her cousins have. Emma cursed in her head and made sure the triplets stayed behind her. The woman stomped over and Emma tried to greet her only to be interrupted.

"Your boys hurt my little angel!" She accused as she shoved her finger close to Emma's face. Emma took a step back to have her personal space.

"Well, it's only a small argument. They were just little kids." Emma reasoned. The woman only scoffed.

" _Just_ an argument?" She said. It was as if Emma had stated murder was legal.

"That boy!" She pointed an accusing finger to Ayato. "He pushed my son!"

Emma sighed and calmly turned to Ayato. "Say you're sorry." She said.

Ayato looked at the boy. "Sorry." He said.

Emma smiled at him and turned only to see that the woman still had a frown.

"He didn't mean it." Emma explained. "He's–"

"How old are you?" She asked.

Emma blinked. "What?" She asked.

"How old are _you_?" The mother asked.

"I'm twenty-two." Emma asked. She didn't seem to know why she needed to know her age. The woman widened her eyes in horror.

"Twenty-two and you have six kids?" She exclaimed.

Emma widened her eyes as she realized her mistake. Before she could explain, the mother continued.

"Didn't you go to university?" She asked.

"I dropped out actually." Emma answered.

"You should be studying! You're too young to be a mother!" She scolded.

"Actually I'm not–"

"Don't you feel bad for your parents?" She asked.

"I don't think that's any of your business!" Emma retorted harshly. The employee looked nervous as she tried to calm down the two women.

The mother glared at Emma before she turned to look at the boys.

"They don't even look similar." The mother sneered. "Sleeping around at your age?"

Emma's teeth grind at her comment. Not once has she slept with a man, let alone dated one!

"You can say whatever you want but don't you dare say anything about my sons!" She yelled. She didn't realize that she had considered the boys as her own.

The mother turned to look at the employee. "Call Child Protection Service!" She instructed.

The employee only stared. "Why exactly?" She asked, a bit startled.

"This woman is abusing her children!" The mother accused.

Emma couldn't help but laugh at her accusation. Is she serious? The employee looked at the woman confused. It seems only the mother found the situation serious.

"How is she abusing her children?" The employee asked.

"Her child is aggressive!" The mother reasoned. "Now we know after seeing her behavior."

"It's because you were insulting me and he already apologized." Emma stated.

"You're too young and not capable to be a mother!" The mother shouted.

Subaru started to cry from the noise.

"See! She's hurting her baby!" The mother yelled.

The employee was starting to look annoyed. "He's crying because you were yelling. You're scaring the children." She explained.

To prove her point, Shu, Reiji and the triplets hid behind Emma. The other childrens in the daycare was staring at the scary lady; even her own son was tearing up in fear.

Emma sighed. "We're leaving." She told the boys. She grabbed her bag and turned to leave.

"You can't leave with those boys! They're not safe with you!" She screamed.

Emma heard a yelp and turned around quickly. She turned to see her grab Ayato. Laito tried to pull Ayato from the woman's grip while Kanato cried in fear.

"Let go of him!" Emma yelled as her blood boiled. Ayato struggled as he tried to pull his arm away.

"No! They're not–" She yelped when Ayato bit her hand. She instinctively let go and rushed back to Emma. Emma said goodbye to the employee before she ushered the boys out of the daycare.

She helped the boys inside the car and she drove off. After a while, they stopped at a traffic light.

"Are you okay, Ayato?" She asked.

He nodded. She stared at his mouth. Thankfully, he didn't bite hard enough to draw blood. Who knows what would have happened if he tasted it.

"What's wrong with that woman?" Shu asked, curiously. It was an innocent question and Emma laughed.

"She's just worried." Emma explained.

That's enough fun for today.

* * *

 **A/N: There was a review that had negative feedback on my story. I'm still a new writer so my writing might not be that great. It's alright that you didn't like my story but please don't insult the readers that surprisingly like my story. I'm alright with criticism as long as it can help me improve on my story. If there is anything about my writing that needs improvement, feel free to tell me. Constructive criticism is accepted. Don't forget to favorite, follow and review. As always see you next time!**


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

After that fiasco, she had asked the employee on the phone which day can she bring her kids to the daycare when that entitled parent wasn't around. The employee had cooperated and apologized for the parent's rude behavior. However, she wasn't worried about the boys' safety – well, she was but they could take care of themselves. She was more worried for the parents as after all, she wasn't sure if Ayato might attack her. Her brother had called her that night and she had told him about the strange event.

He guffawed at her story and went to invite Lily in the phone conversation. She reacted the same way. Everyone was in a fit of laughter.

"She's never met our cousins." Her brother joked while Lily laughed at Emma's second retelling of the story.

Emma chuckled. "That would be hell." She agreed. She could imagine it, entitled parents shouting over each other. The kids might also get involved in the argument. Nothing will end well if that happens.

"But the boys are fine after what happened right?" Lily asked as she gently pulled the phone towards her so that Emma could hear her clearly.

Emma turned to look at the boys playing as if that fiasco never happened today. Especially the triplets who didn't seen bothered by it.

"They're fine. Ayato seems proud of himself." Emma answered. After the daycare, she brought them to get ice cream to calm them all down.

"You should give that boy another ice cream." Mike stated. They talked with each other a few more minutes before she ended the call.

She smiled at her conversation. She never thought she would talk about the boys so easily to Mike now. All she has to do is keep it a secret at the family dinner. Then everything will be fine until Karlheinz picks up his kids and bring them home.

It was the next morning and Emma had decided not to go out today. The work that she had done from her double shift finally hit her that morning and her muscles felt sore. She didn't feel like moving an inch from the couch.

"Go outside." Ayato ordered as he sat on her stomach.

"We can't go outside. I'm dead." She muttered. She groaned as the triplets got on the sofa.

"Dead?" Kanato asked as he pinched her cheek.

"Mhm." She mumbled with a small nod to him.

"Why?" Laito asked. He climbed over her legs.

"I did a lot of work." She said.

She heard her phone rang. She glanced to see her phone on the coffee table. She reached for it and answered.

"Hello?" She asked, a bit groggily.

"Did I wake you up?" Paul's voice asked.

"I wish I was asleep but I'm sore all over." She replied. "What do you need?"

"I'm on my way to your house." Paul said. Emma slowly sat up and held Ayato in one arm.

"Why?" Emma asked as she gave Subaru his toy.

"I can't tell you. It's a surprise." He answered. She raised an eyebrow.

"Surprise for who?" Emma asked.

"For the boys of course. I'll be there soon." He said. He ended the call and Emma placed her phone aside.

"Paul's bringing a surprise for you guys." Emma told them.

The boys grinned in excitement. Emma stood up and started to play with them while waiting for Paul to arrive. She was in the bathroom, changing Subaru's diaper when the doorbell rang.

"Shu, can you get the door?" She called out. She heard their light footsteps run to the door.

"Paul!"

The boys greeted him warmly. Emma sighed. They really liked that guy. Probably more than they liked her. She paused. Wait… was she jealous?

"So what's the surprise?" She asked from the bathroom as she changed Subaru's diaper.

"I have it here. Just come to the living room." He said.

There were noises as the boys scurried to the living room. The blonde paused when she heard and unfamiliar sound. Once she was done, she carried Subaru to the living room. She stopped when she saw the males huddled around something. She tilted her head and she went to them.

"What's that?" She asked curiously. She glanced at Paul but for some reason, he wouldn't say anything to her.

"A box." Shu exclaimed. It was obvious it was a box. Yet there was something suspicious about it. There were makeshift holes and it was shaking. She froze when a sound came out of the box. It sounded alive.

"Paul, don't tell me–"

"Surprise!" Paul exclaimed as he opened the box. Something jumped out of the box. It barked at the boys cheerfully and smelled them.

"Dog!" Ayato cheered. It was smaller than the boys as its tail wagged happily. It jumped as it ran around the boys.

"It's a puppy." Paul corrected. Subaru struggled and Emma set him down so that he can investigate the puppy. He waddled towards the puppy, stumbling slightly.

The boys crowded around the German shepherd as they pet it. They laughed in excitement as the puppy was bouncing and enjoying the attention. They were all ecstatic except for one person.

"Paul…" Emma said. Paul turned to look at her as she narrowed her eyes.

"Can I talk to you alone?" She asked with a straight voice.

His smile froze but he slowly nodded. He got up and followed her into the kitchen. She can hear the boys being loud and knew they wouldn't hear the conversation. She sighed before turning to look at him. He looked a bit nervous. She was satisfied as he should be. She looked at him for a while as he was sweating bullets.

"Are you trying to give me a dog?" She asked slowly.

"No, I just wanted Shu to play with him. He said he wanted to play with a dog again." He explained quickly.

Emma chuckled, a bit sarcastic. "So you didn't bring the dog here and hope I have a change of heart and keep the dog." She said.

He sighed. "It's just temporary to make the boys happy. They can play with the puppy and I'll bring it back home." He assured.

Emma glanced back into the living room to see that the boys were enjoying the presence of their canine companion. She heard socializing with animals is good for kids. She sighed and turned back to look at Paul. He looked at her, expectantly.

"Fine, but temporarily. And don't even think of 'forgetting' to bring it back home." She warned.

He nodded with the grin. They walk back into the living room. The boys were giving affectionate pets to the dog. Emma couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"If you want to play with him, you can play outside." She explained.

The boys rushed to the backdoor with the puppy following them.

"Don't forget to wear your shoes." She added. She turned to see that the room was a mess. She turned to see Paul about to go to the backyard.

"Where do you think you're going? You're helping me clean up." She stated.

He sighed but joined to help her. She watched him carefully.

"Where did you get the puppy?" She asked.

"I told you my uncle had three." He reminded.

She nodded. "Well thanks for letting them play with the puppy." She replied.

He chuckled. "No problem." He answered.

She smiled.

* * *

 **A/N: Shu gets to play with a dog! Don't forget to favorite, follow and review. As always see you next time!**


	26. Chapter25

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

She sat on the bench as she watched the boys play fetch with the puppy. They were at the park nearest to her house as Paul had insisted. Paul was teaching them how to play properly with the dog. Emma couldn't help but smile at how happy they were. Emma had learned the canine's name was Bolt and she could tell where the name came from. The young dog enjoys the outdoors and has been bounding here and there with excitement, tugging at his leash.

Paul threw the ball and the puppy chased after it. The triplets followed after the dog, intent on getting the ball as well. Ayato caught it and cheered.

"Ayato!" Paul called out with a laugh. "Bolt was supposed to catch it."

Ayato hesitantly gave the ball to Bolt. The little dog chewed on the ball and ran back to Paul. Paul knelt down and played a tug of war with the puppy before finally taking the ball away. The puppy leapt up in hopes of reaching for the ball once more. Paul gave the ball to Shu. Shu, having watched Paul, threw the ball as hard as he could. The puppy ran for it. The puppy jumped and caught it before rushing back to Shu. It pounced at Shu, pushing him to the ground. Emma almost stood up assuming that Shu might cry. Instead, Shu burst into a fit of laughter as the puppy barked for attention. Emma sighed in relief and sat back down. She continued watching them.

Shu had always wanted a dog. She remembered that part in the anime. It was where his mother took the puppy away from him. The puppy was a gift but she took it away from him. She gave a small frown as she thought about that. She was worried he'll grow too attached to it before he'll go back home.

"Watch out!"

Emma instinctively caught the ball before it could hit her face. She gave a glance at Paul.

"Be careful next time." She said but he only smiled.

She looked to see Bolt bounding towards her in excitement. It hopped and placed its upper paws on her knees. It gave small barks and she smiled. She gave the dog a few pets; however it was more interested in the rubber ball in her hands. She threw it and the puppy rushed after the red bouncy ball. She kept watching the boys.

She checked her watch to see it was past twelve. She got off the bench to prepare the picnic blanket and the food.

"Time to eat!" She called out to them. The boys cheered and went towards Emma. Bolt followed after them, curious at their excitement.

I opened the containers so that they can eat the food.

"You cooked all this?" He asked as he took a sandwich.

"Yup. I've been learning a few recipes lately." She answered. While they had chosen sandwiches, the boys had decided to have fruits first.

She took a bite of her sandwich and froze. She gave a small frown and chewed slowly.

"Does your sandwich taste weird?" She asked carefully.

He had already eaten his sandwich and had gotten another one. "There is a strange taste but it's gone after a while." He answered.

She glanced at the sandwich and contemplated. Paul noticed her expression.

"Is something wrong with it?" He asked. He glanced at his a bit worried.

"I don't think I checked the expiration date on that mayonnaise." Emma muttered, nervously.

She slowly looked at him to see that he had looked a bit pale.

"I'm… going to be fine… right?" He asked.

"You'll be fine!" She quickly assured before he could panic. "I mean it still tastes good! I'll even ask my brother! He'll know the answer cause he's a doctor!"

Paul gave a small laugh at her. "It's alright. I might only get a stomachache." He assured.

She kept on reassuring him even after he had already calmed down. The puppy went to everyone whimpering for a piece of food. However the toddlers were stingy. The puppy turned towards Emma and nudged her knee.

Emma fed the dog a piece of sausage. She unconsciously smiled as it chewed on the meat. She would be lying if she said she didn't find the dog adorable. Its coat was soft and she enjoyed stroking her fingers through it. Its large eyes were sparkling with playfulness. This was the most cutest dog she's even seen.

She heard Paul chuckled and she turned to look at him.

"What are you laughing about?" She asked.

"Nothing." He answered with a mischievous smile. They spoke with the boys and enjoyed their time. After they had eaten, the boys went to play with Bolt again while Emma still chose to sit and watch. Before they knew it, the sun was starting to set. They all walked back home. Shu had asked Paul if he could walk Bolt and Paul had allowed him. Emma held hands with Reiji and Kanato while Paul held hands with Laito and Ayato.

"Don't walk too far." Emma called out to Shu.

"Okay!" Shu had replied. She gave a small smile. He really looked happy with that dog.

"You've gotten much friendlier ever since you had those kids." Paul suddenly commented.

She glared at him. "Are you saying I'm not friendly?" She asked, a bit annoyed.

He gave a startled laugh and looked away. "Never mind what I said. You're only nice to the boys. You're even nice to the dog." He corrected.

Emma watched as the puppy was bounding forward as Shu held its leash. She chuckled slightly. It was more like Bolt was taking Shu out for a walk instead of the other way around.

"Hold on to the leash tight." She told Shu. The puppy was energetic and easily distracted. Wherever it went, it dragged Shu to follow him. However, Shu followed with a smile. Subaru followed after Shu as he watched the puppy curiously. He stumbled slightly but didn't want Emma to carry him when she had tried too.

When they had reached the house, that's when chaos had started. Emma gently took the leash from Shu and places it in Paul's hand.

"It's time to say bye-bye to the puppy." Emma said to the boys.

They answered her with tears and cries.

"No…" Shu whined as he held onto the puppy. The puppy kept panting, not understanding what was going on. Emma held Shu as an attempt to pull him away from the dog.

"We can't keep him." She reminded carefully.

The toddlers cried and begged Emma to keep Bolt. However Paul made no movement to help calm the situation.

"Guess you have to keep him." Paul suddenly spoke.

Emma turned to glare at Paul. This was his plan the whole time. Make them fall in love with the puppy.

"No." She said. "I said it before and I'll say it again. I am not keeping it."

She heard the puppy whimper and it folded its ears. Emma hesitated as she watched the dog pout at her. She quickly turned away. She noticed a smile on Paul. He must have thought the puppy's spell had work.

"I. Am. Not. Keeping. It." She spelled it out for him.

That night after she tucked the boys in and they were all fast asleep, she sighed, feeling disappointed in herself. The puppy lay beside her while Subaru slept at her other side. She was weak against the puppy. She was starting to learn that it was getting harder for her to say no.

She turned to look at the puppy and tried to glare at it. Yet she couldn't. Guess she has to get along with it for a while.

 **A/N: Thank you for the reviews! To LLL, thank you for the idea. It's a really good idea and I'll be sure to try and write it in the next chapter. Don't forget to favorite, follow and review. As always see you next time!**


	27. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

Yui hesitated slightly before she could go back inside the school. She knelt down to take a closer look only for it to weakly growl at her.

"Where did you come from?" She asked softly.

Before her eyes was a small puppy. It was starving as she could tell from how tight the skin was against its ribs. The puppy was covered in dirt. She could see scratch marks from what Yui had assumed from previous fights with other hungry strays. It stood protectively over a bone that only had a sliver of meat on it. She reached her hand out but flinched when the puppy snapped its teeth at her.

Poor thing, she had thought. She wasn't sure what she should do. Should she just leave it be. She felt a pang of sympathy that caused her heart to ache. However, she didn't have any piece of food to over the hungry puppy.

"What are you doing?"

Yui flinched and turned around to see someone towering over her. The puppy paid attention to the person and began growling at them who it had felt to be more intimidating than Yui.

"Shu!" She exclaimed in surprise. The blonde gazed at her with his cold blue eyes.

"You're not going to class?" She asked, carefully. The vampire looked relaxed.

"I can't be bothered to." He replied. He didn't even ask the question back to Yui. The girl looked back at the puppy that was prepared to defend itself.

It stood its ground as it continued to snarl and growl all while it shivered in fear. Yui gave a small frown.

"Poor thing." She finally spoke out her thoughts. How will it survive in this harsh environment?

Shu glanced at the weak human before looking back at the puppy. The first time he saw one was when his first friend gave him one. It had been a small German shepherd with dark innocent eyes and its coat shiny and soft. When he had met the puppy it pounced on him with excitement and slobbered him with kisses. He had been so excited to keep the puppy and had brought it home to show to his mother. His mother had reacted by taking the puppy away. She had crushed his happiness and looked at him with such disappointment. He had run off to cry that he didn't know what had happened to the small puppy. Was it killed or was it abandoned in the woods? He wasn't sure which was worse.

 _"Can we keep it?"_

Shu had a small frown. That had sounded like his voice when he was young. The first time he met a puppy… was not with his friend but it was long ago.

* * *

The young boy grinned as he held the puppy. He giggled as the puppy gave slobbery kisses to return its affection. He looked up at a woman who watched the display.

"Can we keep it?" He had asked.

The woman had the same blond hair as his mother but her eyes weren't like his mother. His mother had beautiful sapphire eyes while the woman had dark brown eyes. She had looked tired. Her glasses were atop her head and dark bags hung under her eyes. However she smiled at him – it was as if that she was happy as long as he is. Her focus was all on him. That had been different with his mother. His own mother had focused her attention all on him yet she wasn't emotionally there with him. She was always there to point out his mistakes and force him to be better.

"Of course we'll keep it." She answered. He grinned and hugged the canine, not noticing the exhausted sight the woman had released. The puppy barked with excitement as it played with the blonde boy.

"What do you say?" She had asked.

He looked up at her, a bit confused. She looked at him expectantly. He finally smiled.

"Thank you, Emma." He answered. She gave a small laugh as her eyes twinkled with affection.

"What are you going to say when you see Paul?" She asked another question. Shu thought for a few seconds.

"Thank you, Paul!" He exclaimed as the puppy lay on his lap. The woman nodded.

"You tell him that next time." She answered with an affectionate smile. Shu nodded repeatedly and played with the dog.

The puppy pulled away from Shu and bounded towards the woman. She gave a small smile as she stroked the dog's coat. She glanced at Shu who paid attention to the puppy. Her forehead creased, her eyebrows furrowed and her lips pressed together slightly. She was thinking about something before she finally spoke.

"Shu, are you happy to have a puppy?" She asked. She observed him closely as she waited for him to reply.

The young boy didn't take note of her concern. "Yup!" He answered. He dangled the toy above the dog as it wagged its tail in excitement.

Her face didn't change as she bit the inside of her cheek. The boy looked up and gave a small frown. He gave the toy to the puppy and climbed onto her lap.

"Are you sad?" Shu had asked. The corner of her mouth lifted slightly as she gave a small smile to assure the young boy.

"I'm fine." She replied. She poked his nose, which made Shu smile back and wrapped his arms around the woman.

"I want to bring Bolt back home." He stated. The puppy barked as if agreeing with the idea.

Emma didn't say a word but stroke his blonde locks. He pulled away to look at her wanting to ask a question.

"You'll come too, right?" He asked. His question was full of genuine innocence. He had enjoyed being with Emma. She was fun to play with. He really liked her.

He looked at her eager to hear her answer. She hesitated slightly that he didn't see the flicker of sadness that flashed through her eyes. However, the sadness disappeared and she suddenly looked happy.

"If I can go, I will come with you." She answered. However her answer was vague and didn't promise that she would come with him back home yet it was enough for him who had only been the age of four. He laughed and got off her lap to play with the puppy.

* * *

"Um, Shu?"

Shu blinked and turned his head to Yui. She fidgeted slightly as she thought he had annoyed the vampire. He had however found her whole personality annoying. He glanced to see the puppy had run off carrying the bone with him. Shu looked at the small puppy hiding in the corner as it gnaw on the bone to satiate its hunger. He had thought that he could never keep a dog but there was a time he actually could. It was just a bittersweet memory from his past.

He had only seen that picture once, only once. Maybe he should have paid more attention to it. It was all because of that picture, that he was getting these memories. He was only a toddler so he couldn't remember much except for a few flashbacks. Even then, he still couldn't remember much of her personality at all. Yet he knew that she was different from his mother – very different. Who was she? Why did they stay with her?

All he knew was that she was a part of Karlheinz plan. What was he planning he didn't know.

"Class is about to start." She stated. "Are you coming?"

He looked away. "Just go." Shu replied.

Yui hesitates as to whether she should persuade him to go to class. However, she stopped when she thought of the consequences. She can almost feel his fangs about to sink into her neck and his warm breath sending goose bumps all over her skin. She blushed at the thought and pushed it aside. She said her goodbye and ran off.

She gasped when she felt a hand grab her wrist pulling her backwards. He turned her around as he looked into her pink eyes. His eyes trailed down to her neck and he felt thirsty.

"Shu!" She gasped already knowing what he was going to do.

"Shut up." He had replied. He sank his teeth into her neck and he felt her shiver in response. Her breath hitched and she released a moan with a mixture of pain and pleasure.

"Please stop." She begged. Despite her words, she arched her back, pulling her closer to the male vampire.

He continued to drink her blood as his mind slowly went blank. All the troubling thoughts of Emma had disappeared and he could relax.

For a brief moment, he didn't have to worry about who that woman was.

* * *

 **A/N: I did this chapter in a different approach where the brothers are trying to remember Emma. Different from the previous chapters. Please tell me if you like it or not. If you do, I'll continue writing this way where some chapters focus on the boys and others focus on Emma. If you don't like it, I'll continue the old style. Don't forget to favorite, follow and review. As always, see you next time!**


End file.
